Sins of the Mother
by 100TenMillion
Summary: Sequel to 'retrospective'. Heather's daughter finally finds out what a monster she was. Heartbroken, she shall embark on a journey of discovery. Will her heart learn to hate... or to forgive?
1. Chapter 1

Sins of the Mother

Episode 0: A past best left forgotten

Susan had entered Megan's room to wake her up. That was when she noticed the dried tears on her face. Susan's face fell.

"Has she been crying?"-she asks herself. She nudges Megan gently- "Wake up sweetie, it's a Saturday."

Megan wakes up. She feels her eyes are a little crusty. She rubs her eyes. She sits up. Susan looks at her tenderly.

"Sweetie, you feeling alright?"-asks Susan, concerned.

"I'm fine, why?"-asks Megan.

"No, nothing. It just seemed like you were crying, that's all,"-said Susan.

"Oh… grandma… can I ask you something?"-Megan asks.

"Sure sweetheart, anything,"-says Susan, hoping she won't ask about…

"My mom, what was she like?"-That was the question Susan did not want to hear.

"Your mom… she died thirteen years ago. Uh, well, she… loved you, very, very much,"-said Susan. That was the only answer she could give. The only answer she ever gave.

"Before that, before she had me… what was she like?"-asks Megan.

"She… was very beautiful. Don't get me wrong, she never stopped being beautiful. Matter of fact, after she had you, she became so beautiful, the angels wanted her in Heaven with them. That is why they took her,"-said Susan.

"Grandma, I'm 16. That hokey answer doesn't fly with me anymore. I want to know more… how she died, who she was…"-Megan knew, no one she knew was going to answer that question.

Megan got out of bed, took a shower, brushed her teeth, and got dressed. She went to the kitchen, where Clyde was reading the newspaper.

"Morning grandpa,"-says Megan.

"Good morning, honey. It's a Saturday today. So, what are you going to do? Says here, the weather's gonna be fine,"-says Clyde.

"I think I'm going to the creek, look at some tadpoles or something. Or maybe, I'll climb some trees, or hang out with my friends,"-replied Megan.

"That is good, honey. Just don't hurt yourself. Oh! And be here by lunch, grandma's making her meatloaf!"-says Clyde enthusiastically. He sure loved that meatloaf.

"Sure grandpa, I will,"-replied Megan as she ate her oatmeal. She was a healthy eater. That was one of the many reasons she was so in shape. In fact, her body was quite sporty. She finished her oatmeal, said her goodbyes, and left.

"She… asked again,"-said Susan.

"I… see. We agreed… we can't tell her about… you know,"-Clyde's smile had vanished. He had sworn, long ago, that his granddaughter will grow up in a loving, caring home. He will not repeat the mistake he made with his daughter. He also wanted his granddaughter to respect her mother. Clyde and Susan believed that, if Megan knew…

Megan was drawing in the water with a stick. She liked looking at the calm, tranquil water. She looks up at the sky, and watches the clouds go by. Suddenly, she thinks about Jefferson, the boy she loves. Her smile fades. Tears began to form in her eyes as memories of what happened the day before invade her thoughts.

"He… doesn't have time for a relationship. I bet he thinks I'm just some silly girl with a silly crush…"-Megan thought. She starts sobbing- "Oh, why does it hurt so badly?"

"BETH! Wait for me, Beth!"-says a voice. Megan dries her tears, and looks towards the source of the voice. It was a chunky looking girl, tween aged, most likely. She had brown hair and blue eyes. She had a bit of acne.

"Wait for me! Beth… Beth? Bethany!!! Where are you?"-she asked. Megan approached her.

"You looking for someone?"-asked Megan.

"Yeah, my sister… Oh my gosh! Your eyes are red and poofy!!! Were you crying? I am, like, soooo sorry!!! I didn't mean to interrupt… What happened to you?"-asked the girl. Her voice is rather childish.

"Uh… well, uh… it's nothing, really. Anyway, you're looking for your sister? What she look like?"-Megan did not wish to talk about why she was upset- "By the way, I'm Megan Winslow. You?"

"Hi Megan! My sister, she is, like, the prettiest girl in town."-she says this rather sadly- "It's like, you know, she got the looks and I got the rest, because she takes after mom and I take after daddy. So not fair, I could have been pretty too, if I had taken after mom instead… Oh! My name is Heather Jane Banker. But please, call me Janey. Everyone else does,"

Janey is 5'3". She has brown hair, round, blue eyes, has a slightly tanned skin tone, with a few hints of acne on her face. Her chest size is a very modest B cup. She is a bit overweight. However, her face is absolutely adorable. It is so innocent, so pure…

"Wow! Your name's Heather? That's my mom's name. Anyway… wait a sec… is your sister Bethany Banker?"-asks Megan.

"Uh huh! That's her!!!"-Janey is excited now.

"I know her. We go to school together. Come on, I think I know where she is,"-says Megan.

The two of them walk over to the town. There, they head on over to the local Quick Shop, where Jefferson worked. Megan did not want to see him again so soon, but…

"Oh, Jeffy… I bought this new bikini the other day, but I think it might be a bit too small… how about you come on over to my house and you give me your, shall we say, opinion?"-Bethany said in her most seductive voice. Seeing as she is 14, it is not so much 'sexy' as it is her imitation of a perfume commercial. Quite predictably, Jefferson does not pay her any heed.

Bethany is 14, but looks a bit older. Her chest is quite ample, being a C cup. She wears make up, notably lipstick, blush and eyeliner. Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown as well. Her face is slightly pointier than her sister's. In a few years, she shall resemble her mother greatly in the physical department. However, Bethany is quite vain about her looks, and is quite aware of her desirability. Thankfully, she is only interested in the strong, silent, lone wolf type.

"Bethany!!! Why'd you leave me behind?"-asked Janey.

"Gosh, Needy! I told you I'd be talking to Jeff! You're the one who couldn't keep up with me,"-says Bethany- "What-ever. Anyway, oh Jeffy, I… Jeffy?"

Jefferson was almost staring at Megan. His eyes… they had this look to them. Never before had anyone seen this look on his face before. Megan, however, could not even bear to be in the same room as him. She leaves the shop. Janey follows her.

"Umm, you like him too, huh?"-asks Janey.

"No! No, no… not like that,"-Megan was one bad liar- "He's not my type. I'm not his type. Ewww, he's, like, OLD!!! I mean, liking him? He's, like, not very nice. And I don't go for the handsome, silent type. Nope. Not interested."

Janey blinks- "Ooookayyy. Thank you for helping me find my sister. Though… she's gonna be there all day long. Hey! Let's hang out sometime, ok?"

"Uh, sure, ok. Anyway, I got some free time. Let's hang out right now!"-says Megan. She likes making friends.

"Ok! Uh… let's… ummm, let's go to the… ummm, uhhh… let's go…"-Janey is quite shy.

"How about we check out that new store over at Main Street?"-Megan suggests. Janey agrees.

It was a TV and electronics store. Janey's eyes lit up upon seeing all the gadgets and gizmos. Megan, however, was not so interested. Suddenly, she spots a very cool looking TV.

"Wow, nice set,"-she says. Janey sees the TV as well.

"Oh, awesome! It's a Magna Set 28XX with touch screen, net access…"-the rest of Janey's speech was a blur to Megan. Honestly, she just liked how good the picture looked.

The commercial that was playing had ended. "We're back to RTV! Now, back to our program"-said the announcer.

"Alright, campers, this is your challenge…"-Chris McLane was on TV. Megan is shocked.

"I know that place…"-she says.

"Yeah! This is Total Drama Island. My mom and dad where on this show. Look! That's her, that's my mom!"-Janey points to Lindsay. She then points to Cody- "That's my daddy! Well, when they were teens, that is."

"I've never seen this show before. But… I've seen this place, this camp…"-Megan is paying absolute attention to the screen.

A few blocks away, Clyde is taking a walk. "Hmm, I think I will go see that new store that just opened up,"-he says,

"Oh! I know this episode… Yeah, he gets eliminated,"-she points to Tyler.

"No way! That's mister Jameson! My Home Ec teacher! That is so funny!!! Wait… she… I know her,"-Megan says this as Courtney appears onscreen. Next, when she sees Geoff- "And him. I've seen him… Him too! The large one…"

Janey is shocked- "Wow, in real life?"

"No… in my dreams… I know, weird huh? Oh…My…Gosh… she…"-Heather is on screen- "She… I've seen her too… in my dreams… my guardian angel…"

"Oh, her? That's Heather. I know, I know. We have the same name, don't rub it in. Ugh, I hate her guts!"-says Janey. Megan looks at her, shocked.

"See, she's a manipulative, deceitful little meanie! I hate her, she used to bully mom and Auntie Beth. Ugh! Hate bullies!!!"-Janey says. Megan is speechless. She was so sure… that girl was her angel.

Whenever Megan felt sad, that girl was always there, in her dreams. She'd give her a nice hug. Megan loved her, her guardian angel. But, if what Janey says is true…

"Oh, no,"-says Clyde. He sees Megan watching the show. All he had done. All his work, trying to bury the past…

"Grandpa? Look, that girl…You won't believe this but… she… I know her…"-Megan says, pointing to Heather on the screen.

"Megan… I'm sorry… I… never wanted you to find out this way…"-says Clyde.

"Grandpa, who is she?"-Megan asks, unsure whether she wanted to know or not.

"Megan, honey… you will hate me, and grandma… that's your mom,"-tears began to form in his eyes. All he wanted was for his granddaughter to have a happy life. Now, thanks to a cruel twist of fate…

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Sins of the Mother

Episode 1: All journeys of discovery begin with just a single step.

"Grandpa… Why didn't you ever tell me about my mom?"-asked Megan. Janey was behind her, unsure of what she should do. The idea that her new friend was the daughter of the woman who bullied her mother was just… Plus, there's the fact that she could infer that Megan did not know of her whereabouts. What could have happened to Heather?

"Ummm, Megan, I…"-Clyde just could not get the words out of his mouth. He was so convinced that leaving his granddaughter in the dark about her mother was the only way she could ever have a clean slate…

"Grandpa… is what Janey said true?"-asked Megan. In her heart, she wanted it all to be a lie. She still wanted to believe that her grandparents just don't remember her mom at all that much…

"Well… Megan…"-again, Clyde just could not get the words out. His heart was crushed upon seeing Megan's tearing eyes.

"Grandpa? Why can't you answer?"-asked Megan, as tears roll down her face. Clyde was too tongue tied to answer. He prayed, everyday, for God to keep this day from ever coming. Janey, upon seeing her new friend so upset, promptly placed her hand on Megan's shoulder.

"Hey, uh… maybe this girl is just some girl who LOOKS like your mom, huh?"-Janey tried to console Megan. She failed miserably.

Megan's tears could not be stopped. All her life, she had wondered what her mom was like, her dad… She envisioned them as two good people. She thought her mom was maybe an angel. She thought her dad was maybe an old sailor, lost at sea. She never imagined her mom was a bad person.

And yet, there she was. Her mother, an inglorious bitch, dressing like a stripper on national television. She was a TEENAGER, for God's sake! What business did she have dressing like that!?

Clyde knew, in his heart, he could no longer escape. He owed it to his granddaughter… she deserved the truth.

"Okay, Megan. Sweetie, listen… back then… your mom… your grandmother, uncle and I… we were different people… and uh… things change, honey…"-Clyde's eyes also began to water. This day should never had to have come. Wasn't he a good grandfather? Is he once again being punished for his old ways?

"I… I… no. I won't believe it. I WON'T!!!!"-Megan ran from the store. Janey called for her to come back, and ran after her. However, her poorly kept figure kept her from going very far. Soon, she had run out of breath.

Clyde silently cried to himself. He needed to talk to Susan. The time had come, finally, to relieve a great burden…

Janey had run over to the Quick Shop where Bethany and Jefferson were still talking. Well, Bethany talked. Jefferson just gave her a cold shoulder, which she never cared to acknowledge. In comes Janey, sweating and huffing.

"Is… (huff) is Megan here?"-Janey asked. As soon as he hears the name, Jefferson's attention picks up.

"Uhhh, who?"-asks Bethany in her conceited voice.

"Megan (huff) my friend. She (wheeze) she ran off crying (huff) I thought she'd be here,"-said Janey, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Megan's been crying!?"-asked Jefferson. He bolts out the door, only Megan is on her mind. He knew where to find her.

An hour had passed. Finally, Jefferson finds her. She was at the same hill from yesterday. It was her favorite spot.

"Hey, been looking for you,"-he says. Suddenly, he feels uneasy. She does not even acknowledge him.

"So, uh… everything ok?"-he asks. She does not answer.

"Janey told me you were upset. So… I came. You ok, Meg?"-she never answers him. He sits besides her.

"Go away… please,"-she finally says. He sees her eyes. His heart… it hurt now. He hated seeing her like that.

"I am just, you know, concerned about you,"-he says. He does not want to leave- "What happened?"

"Nothing. You don't… you don't even have the time for this. Go away, please,"-she is sobbing as she says this. His heart just sank.

"Please, Meg. I hate to see you cry like this. Tell me, what's wrong?"-he pleads.

"Nothing… nothing!!! Go away!!! Just…go away and leave me alone,"-she is now crying again. Jefferson gets up, and though he hesitates, he leaves.

"Listen… I'll se you later, okay?"-he mentally kicked himself for saying that. Why is it so hard for him to admit his feelings?

Jefferson was in town, dragging himself back to his job. He sees his old Home Ec teacher, Tyler Jameson. Tyler sees his old student, and he grows concerned.

"Yo, Jefferson! Wait up, bro!"-he says, waving to the young man.

Tyler had changed a lot in the last 21 years. His hair was graying out he no longer sported much of an athletic figure. Though he was not so much out of shape, he simply no longer seemed like the kind of person who used his body that much. His face was slightly wrinkled, as well.

Tyler and Jefferson walked over to the shop.

"You should have stayed with her, dude,"-said Tyler, sternly.

"Yeah. I messed up, mister Jameson. I just… didn't know what to do, you know?"-said Jefferson.

"Well, we all make mistakes. What's important is making up for them,"-said Tyler, smiling.

"I don't want to see her this upset… I wonder what got her like that,"-says Jefferson.

"Well… maybe you should ask someone close to her. Her grandpa perhaps. Or a friend of hers,"-offers Tyler.

"Yeah… wait. I know! I'll ask Janey, she ought to know!"-Jefferson says.

"Wow dude, you've changed. When you were in my class… you weren't like this,"-says Tyler as he watches his old student run back towards Janey…

The time was about 7:00 PM. Jefferson was standing outside his house, overlooking the sky. DJ walks up to him.

"Hey pal, something wrong?"-he asks.

"DJ… do you know why my…"-Jefferson almost asked him a question about his father- "Do you know… what I should do now? Megan… she's…"

"Yeah?"-DJ knew a bit about Megan. He knew her as the girl who helped Jefferson come out of his shell. He and Bridgette really liked her, though she did seem familiar to them…

"Remember Total Drama Island? Remember this girl, Heather?"-asked Jefferson.

"She died about 13 years ago. We attended her funeral… the three of us. It was about a week before…"-DJ cut himself short. He knew Jefferson hated talking about his father.

"Megan is Heather's daughter"-said Jefferson. DJ simply nods. Long had he suspected the familiarity. Now he knew…

"So, she found out about the show?"-asked DJ.

"She found out about her mom. She… got upset. She was crying, man. I…"-Jefferson could not finish that sentence.

"One of your biggest virtues, Jeff, is that you always try to help out a woman when she is upset. I've always been proud of the way you treat your mom. And now, now is your chance to help out your g- your friend, Megan. She needs you, Jeff. Go to her, go help her,"-says DJ.

"I'll do that. Hey… take care of my mom while I'm gone, ok?"-says Jefferson as he leaves for Megan's.

"Will do!"-replies DJ.

As soon as DJ was out of reach, Jefferson muttered under his breath- "Thank you, dad."

The town's exit was a long, lonely road. Megan looked onward and saw nothing but darkness, cut by a few streetlights. She looked onward, knowing fully well that she had a long walk ahead of her.

"My mom… she… I won't believe it. Everything I thought I knew… grandma and grandpa, and uncle Damien… they've been lying to me. They kept the truth away from me… Maybe… what if my mom and dad are actually still alive?"-said Megan to herself. She, of course, knew in her heart that at least her mom was still dead.

"That place… Camp Wawanakwa… I know it holds the answers. I need to know more about my mom. And… I can't trust my family to tell me the truth. I'll go to that camp…"-she said, determined.

"Waaaaiiit!!!!"-It was Janey. She was running towards Megan. Bethany was following her.

"Janey?"-Megan was puzzled by her new friend's appearance.

"Don't go! (Huff, huff) You can't leave town, it's too dangerous on your own!"-Janey pleaded.

"You're trying to leave town!? Cool!!! I'm coming with you!"-said Bethany.

"What!?"-Janey and Megan said in unison.

"Oh, I am sick of this town! There's no excitement, no danger, no dance, no romance! I need some spice in my life. I know in my blood I am a city girl! I'm coming with you!"-Bethany's mind was made up.

"But, Beth, I thought you had a thing for Jefferson,"-said Janey. Megan just looked away.

"Oh, yeah. He's sooooo dreamy!!! So… if he does not come over here, right now, to stop me… I will give up all hope for him!"-said Bethany, clutching her heart in a rather dramatic way.

"What!? How the heck is Jefferson even gonna know you're gonna leave town!?"-asked Janey.

"Oh Needy, his heart shall alert him that the love of his LIFE is preparing to leave him, forever! His SOUL shall guide him to me, and with all the passion in his voice, he shall say-"- Bethany did not get to finish that sentence, because….

"Stop!!! What the hell are you doing!?"- It was Jefferson. Megan is shocked to see him, but Bethany is thrilled.

She runs up to him, saying- "Oh, Jefferson! Your heart has led you to me! Here you are, facing the cold dread of night rushing to stop me from pursuing the foolish dreams of a simple country girl!!!"

"Megan, just where the hell do you think you are going!?"-asks Jefferson as he grabs her by the arm. Janey gasps, seeing that what Bethany just said was true… for Megan.

"Let go of me Jefferson. You don't have time to stop me."-said Megan. She was dead serious.

"Then I will MAKE time,"-said Jefferson, just as serious.

"Jefferson… don't stop me. Don't even try… I need to go to Camp Wawanakwa. I need to find out more about my mom.."-Megan's eyes were starting to tear up. But her eyes did not reflect sadness, they reflected determination. Jefferson was rather impressed.

"Then I'm coming with you,"-he said. Megan was shocked to hear that.

"Wow, dude. That couldn't have come out cooler if you had rehearsed,"-said Tyler. He was in the shadows. The four teens were shocked to see him there.

"I've been expecting you to come here, Megan. Soon as I heard from your grandpa that you found out about your mom, I knew… Call it a teacher's intuition. So, looks like the three of us are going to Camp Wawanakwa. Ha ha ha, never thought I'd ever go back there again,"-said Tyler, a smile on his face.

"Uhhh, correction, mister teacher man. There's four of us,"-said Bethany, pointing to herself.

"You and your sister are going home,"-said Tyler, sternly- "And I mean NOW."

"No! Where Jefferson's going, I'm going,"-said Bethany, determined. She clutches onto his arm- "I am the love of his life! He came all the way out here just for ME!"

"Forget it, she won't change her mind. She'll just sneak out again,"-said Janey- "I may as well tag along. I need to make sure Bethany stays safe."

"Well then, looks like I'm responsible for four- I mean three kids. Listen you two, Beth and Janey, you two need to call your parents EVERY DAY! I mean it. You need to tell them where you are going. The only reason I'm even letting you come is because me and Jefferson are here, ok?"-said Tyler. Janey nodded in agreement, while Bethany huffed, and said 'OK'.

"Well, let's go,"-said Megan.

"By then way, I brought my car,"-said Tyler. The five get in the car, Tyler driving, Jefferson riding shotgun (Tyler asked him to).

The sound of a motor breaks the silence of the night, as five souls begin the journey that will change their lives… forever…


	3. Chapter 3

**Sins of the Mother**

**Episode 2: A nightly chorus of crickets**

As the old car cruised through the dead of night, Megan kept thinking about all the things she had to do.

"So, Meg, what's the plan?"-asked Tyler.

"I need to go to Camp Wawanakwa. That's where I am headed,"-she replied.

"Yeah, I know that. What I mean is, what then?"-asked Tyler, curious.

"… I just need to go there…"-said Megan. Tyler had suspected as much…

It was 9:15 PM. The sun had long set. The moon was just overhead. The inky black night sky was now adorned by a few stars. As soon as a motel comes into view, Tyler turns the signal light on. He enters the parking lot, parks the car, and turns the car off.

"Ok kids, instructions. We'll be staying here for the night. We ain't driving all night, k?"-he said- "We're getting two rooms. One for you girls, and one for me and Jeff."

"Ugh! Is this motel… clean? It looks so… cheap! Eww,"-said Bethany. Tyler just chuckled. Janey just sighed, whilst Megan glared at her.

"Don't forget, you have to call your parents,"-said Megan. Bethany shot her an angry look, and stuck out her tongue. Once more, Tyler chuckled at her childish behavior. Jefferson merely shook his head.

Bethany began to shake in disgust. She's heard of this type of motels before. Roaches in the tub, silverfish on the floor, fleas in the bed, bed sheets that haven't seen a washing machine in months. Just the idea made her want to vomit.

"This motel is actually not so bad. I stayed here on my college road trip,"-said Jefferson- "Just don't expect anything better than three star service."

"Oh, Jeffy! Your heart has read my emotions, just like a true lover! Oh, see? You're my soul mate after all,"-said Bethany. Tyler and Janey shared a laugh, Jefferson shook his head in embarrassment, whilst Megan paid them no mind. She had other priorities.

"Hey, two rooms please,"-said Jefferson to the clerk. The clerk, who had recognized Jefferson, gave him two keys. Jefferson was going to pay, but Tyler beat him to it.

"Let the adult pay, sport,"-said Tyler.

"I am an adult…"-said Jefferson, in a whisper, to no one in particular.

Tyler kept looking at Bethany and Janey, almost glaring at them. When they saw him, he directed his glance towards the payphone that was placed near a vending machine. It was a condom machine, empty of all merchandise, awaiting a refill. In any case, the message Tyler was giving via his gaze was clear. Bethany, in a huff, went to the phone. She was going to dial her home number. Her fingers are trembling. She is afraid.

"Here Needy, you first,"-she says as she hands her sister the phone. Janey sighs, takes the phone, and calls home. Bethany was going to leave, but Tyler stops her.

"You too,"-he says to her. He is serious. Bethany is avoiding his glance at all cost.

"Mom, daddy… I'm sorry… but I kind of didn't want Bethany to go alone, you know? What? Yeah, she's fine. Yeah, she's here. Ok,"-Janey hands her sister the phone. Bethany could tell from her sister's eyes, her parents were angry. Tears began to form in Bethany's eyes, as her body shakes both from fear, anger, shame and nerves. She takes the phone…

Megan was looking at the stars. Jefferson walks over to her.

"Hey,"-he says.

"Hey,"-she responds.

"Nice night, huh?"-he said.

"Yeah,"-she replied.

"Listen…"-he had no idea what to say next. At that moment, some crickets began to chirp- "Cool. Crickets. I'm going to miss that. Once I'm, you know, in college…"

She stands there, motionless. He wants to say something, anything.

"Why go there, specifically?"-he asks her.

"Where?"-she asks.

"Camp Wawanakwa,"-he answers.

She does not answer. He grows restless. He has no idea how to handle this.

"Mister Jameson is a good teacher,"-he finally says.

"Yeah, he's ok,"-she answers.

"Know what?"-he says.

"What?"-she is not particularly interested in this conversation.

"Mister Jameson used to date Bethany's mom,"-he says, chuckling slightly.

"Bethany's a spoiled brat. Don't talk to me about her,"-she says bitterly. He winces. She marches to the room Jefferson had rented for the girls.

Bethany uses all the inner strength she had to hang up the phone cordially. Janey winces as she sees the look on her sister's face. It looked like she was fighting back tears.

"I need to use the bathroom,"-she says. She leaves. Janey and Tyler stand there, under the light offered by the old bulb.

"Know what your mom and dad told her?"-asked Tyler.

"Mom and dad are furious with her. She's been acting up lately. None of us know why,"-replied Janey.

"She keeps calling you 'Needy'. Why?"-asked Tyler.

"Just a name she uses for me, is all…"-replies Janey, rather sadly.

When Bethany entered the room, Megan opted to leave. Truth be told, she didn't want to be near Bethany. She opted to ask Tyler a few questions.

"Mister Jameson? Can I ask you a question?"-she asked.

"You want to ask me about your mom,"-he replied. His suspicion was correct.

"What was she like?"-she asked. She prepared herself for the ugliest truths she could imagine.

"Listen, Meg… we, your mom and I… didn't talk a lot. And the few times we did, it was not a nice experience. She… was really high strung, you know?"-he said. Megan's eyes were beginning to look slightly downtrodden.

"Your mom… she began this Alliance, involving Lindsay and Beth. She was gonna use those two to get herself to the final three. Sure, at the time, not long after the show ended, everyone suspected she had lied to them. See, she told those two that she was taking the three of them into the final Three. We all suspected, especially after Beth quit the alliance, that Heather just wanted some lackeys she could dump after they had served their use,"-Tyler reminisced. Megan just absorbed all he was saying.

"Of course… in the context of the contest… your mom had the right idea. It WAS a contest that, in many ways, encouraged backstabbing. It's just that… Heather seemed so ok with it all… so many of us just, you know… rejected that,"-said Tyler.

Tyler closed his eyes, thinking about what else to say.

Bethany was alone in the bathroom. She allowed her tears to flow freely across her face. She did not, however, so much as allow her lips to quiver, nor for a sob to escape her lips.

Janey was sitting alone, in the car, watching Tyler and Megan have their chat. She'll go to bed as soon as Megan does.

Jefferson was watching the stars, wondering how his mother was doing.

"I should call mom. Maybe, I can ask her some advice,"-he said to himself.

"So anyways, your mom, Meg… she was a nasty piece of work back then. You already know that, right? I'm not going to lie to you… we all hated her. But in many ways, we didn't have the right to hate her. I mean, come on. What kind of contest did we sign up for anyway? How many of us humiliated ourselves for money… look what happened to us. Cody got mauled by a bear… Was it worth it? Hell no. It wasn't worth it. The network, essentially, was paying us peanuts in exchange for our dignity…"-As Tyler's gaze hits the ground, Megan looks up at the sky, wondering if her mother ever truly was who she thought she was.

Jefferson dialed his home number. "Maybe mom's asleep. I'll just check,"-he said.

"Anyway Meg… The only thing your mom actually hated about me was the fact that, well… I was at the time dating Lindsay. Heather made up some crazy rules… which, when I think about it, probably weren't so crazy. She said Lindsay was not allowed to date me, because I was part of the other team. Ha ha… it made sense to me years later…"-Tyler watched as the yellow light from the light bulb bounced off the pavement. He had to admit to himself, it was a beautiful sight, if he allowed it to be…

Janey was at the door to the girl's room. She debated whether to go in or not. "I wish I hadn't gone to that store today. I wish… Megan didn't see that,"-she said to herself.

Bethany was sitting on her bed, not yet ready to go to sleep. "Somewhere, out there… He's waiting for me,"-she said to herself- "The man who will take me away…"

"The more I think about it, Meg… the more I realize that, Heather and Bethany are a lot alike,"-said Tyler.

"Yeah, they are both spoiled brats,"-said Megan, a bit more angry than she had intended.

"Ok, I'll let you get away with that this time. But… what I mean is… both of them are actually just lonely girls, you know? Don't get me wrong, there are some real bitches in the world. But… Bethany is not one of them. And neither was your mom, you know?"-said Tyler.

"What do you mean?"-asked Megan.

"I got a friend, Harold's his name. He'll do a much better job at explaining it to you,"-said Tyler.

Jefferson had finally managed to get his mother on the phone.

"Sure mom. Listen, I'm sorry about leaving so soon. It's just… Megan… has found out something really terrible. And I… kind of want to be there for her. No I really want to be there for her. Yeah mom… I… yeah… Are you alright by yourself? Oh, DJ's there with you? Can you tell him I said hi?"- Jefferson spoke on the phone to Bridgette. He lets out a sigh of relief every now and again. He couldn't see it, but by the sound of her voice, he could tell: his mom was feeling better than she has in years.

Janey was getting ready for bed. She turns to Bethany, and says- "Beth, we forgot to bring our toothbrushes."

Bethany was looking out the window, at the stars. She leaves the room for a second. She sees Megan and Tyler at the corner of her eye. They seem to be talking. She eyes a particular star. She had been keeping an eye on that star for a while… it was the first to come out that night. She closes her eyes, and says in a whisper- "Star light, star bright, wish I may, wish I might… send me a prince that can take me far, far away…"


	4. Chapter 4

_Sins of the Mother_

_Episode 3: A soft rain delivers a rainbow_

_It was morning. Megan did not sleep well last night. Bethany slept okay, and Janey slept well. Jefferson woke up about an hour ago, while Tyler was still asleep. Megan took a shower, and marveled at how clean this motel's shower was. After she was done, she got dressed. Bethany was second in line to take a shower. Janey was last. Megan stepped outside, and saw Jefferson looking at the sky._

"_Good morning Meg,"-he said._

"_Good morning,"-she replied- "I think it will rain today."_

"_Yeah. I like the rain. It's so calming,"-he said, looking at the rain clouds._

_The sky was light gray in color. This was due to the rain clouds that had completely blocked out the Sun. The usually warm breeze of the summer have grown cold for this cloudy morning._

"_It's a beautiful day."-said Megan. She sits down next to Jefferson. Jefferson smiles at her._

"_Yeah, it is,"-he wished he could add 'but not as beautiful as you are' to that sentence. However, Jefferson has always been reserved about his feelings._

"_I kind of wish I slept in today. Cloudy mornings are the best for taking a quick nap,"-she said._

"_Yeah, it's very relaxing,"-he replied._

"_What are you guys looking at?"-asked Bethany. She had finished her shower and opted to look for Jefferson. Megan frowned a bit at her._

"_Nothing, I was just leaving,"-she says in a huff. Bethany shrugs her shoulders, and quickly hugs Jefferson. She puts his arm around her shoulders, and smiles at him. Jefferson, however, does not return the smile._

_Tyler steps out of his room. He stretches his arms, and looks at the sky._

"_Guess it will rain today, huh?"-he says. At that moment, Janey steps out of the room._

"_Wow, I've heard that motel rooms are dirty. But that room in particular was actually quite clean,"-she says._

"_Not all motels are the seedy type you see in movies. Some actually strive to bring as much quality service as people on the road need. Doesn't everybody need a clean room now and again?"-says Tyler- "Course, there ARE seedy motels out there. This one's just one of the good ones. Ok kids, in the car! We still have a long way to go before we reach Muskoka."_

_An hour had passed on the road. As Megan lay deep in thought, Janey was a bit restless._

"_Mister Jameson, how much further is Muskoka?"-she asks._

"_Bout three day drive. And once we make it there, Lake Wawanakwa is itself a two and a half hour drive. To make it to that camp, going by boat will take about… an hour,"-he says._

_Another hour passes. Suddenly, the car breaks down. Tyler and Jefferson check the motor._

"_This… is going to need a repairman,"-says Tyler. Jefferson agrees._

_After the repairman tows the car to her shop, Tyler says- "She told me it would take three hours to repair. So… this is a small town. We meet back here in two and a half, got it? Here's some money, case you guys get hungry,"-says Tyler. Jefferson refuses the money, because he has his own. Janey and Megan hesitate to take it. Beth takes it without much thought._

_Bethany grabs hold of Jefferson, and says- "Let's you and me go somewhere, Jeffy. Needy, you and Meg go somewhere else, got it?"_

_Megan did not like how Bethany just grabbed Jefferson like that. And she REALLY didn't like how she called her own sister 'Needy'. But, before she could say anything, Bethany was already gone. Megan turns to Janey._

"_So, what do you want to do?"-Megan asks._

"_I'm not hungry right now. Let's just… I don't know"-she replies._

"_Wanna check out the town?"-asks Megan. Janey nods her head._

_Tyler was waiting for the car to be repaired. The repairman looks at him._

"_Those your kids?"-she asks._

"_What? No. They're my students,"-he replies._

"_Ah, what you teach? PE?"-she asks._

"_Nah, Home Ec,"-was his answer. She laughs._

"_A guy teaching Home Ec? Wow, you don't see that every day,"-she says._

"_Yeah, male Home Ec teachers are as rare as women mechanics,"-he says with a sly smile._

"_I like you. Name's Maria,"-she says. Maria is a well built woman. Dark skinned, jet black hair, full lips, brown eyes, body is well toned._

"_Name's Tyler. It's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful mechanic,"-says Tyler._

_Bethany was drinking her lemonade. She was blushing, for she was sitting next to the boy she liked._

"_You call Janey 'Needy'. Why?"-he asks._

"_Heather, or Janey as she likes to be called, hates being by herself. She clings a lot to either dad or me. When we go out shopping, Needy always follows dad around. If dad's not around, she follows me around. If neither of us is there, she never separates from mom,"-says Bethany- "I call her Needy because, well, she's needy."_

_Megan and Janey were walking around town. _

"_Ummm, Megan? I, uh…"-Janey is feeling shy._

"_Yeah, Janey?"-asks Megan._

"_I'm sorry,"-Janey finally says after much stammering._

"_Why? What for?"-asks Megan, looking at her friend softly._

"_If it wasn't for me… we wouldn't be here. I should never have dragged you to that damned store,"-Janey seems like she is tearing up._

"_Janey, if not for you… I'd live the rest of my life not knowing the truth about my mom. If anything, I should thank you,"-says Megan. Janey smiles. She is relieved._

_Tyler smiles to himself. Age 37, and STILL attracting the chicks. Not bad…_

_Jefferson and Bethany were eating their burgers._

"_So, why does Janey hang out with your mom last?"-he asked- "You girls get along with your mom?"_

"_Sure we do!"-she says- "But… it's just hard for us. Mom is so gorgeous… neither of us can compare, really. Well, I AM catching up, but Needy is way out of our league."_

"_You saying your sister is ugly?"-he asks, raising an eyebrow._

"_Needy IS pretty. But, come on. She's like a 7, maybe an 8. I'm a 9. Mom's a straight 10!"-she replies._

"_You girls don't like being compared to your mom, huh?"-asks Jefferson._

"_It's hard… when everyone stares at your mom… ignoring you completely. It wasn't until I grew my chest out that boys started to notice me…"-Bethany looks saddened. Jefferson reflects on what he has learned. _

_Janey and Megan were watching the clouds go by._

"_This is a nice town,"-says Janey._

"_Yeah, very quiet,"-says Megan._

"_Is that bad?"-asks Janey._

"_Not really. I like quiet towns. Especially on the weekends,"-says Megan._

"_Bethany does not really like small towns. She's always happier when we go to a large city,"-says Janey. Megan frowns a little. Janey notices, and gets a bit nervous._

"_Are you upset?"-asks Janey._

"_I… look, I'll be frank. I don't like your sister,"-says Megan- "And don't ask me why."_

_Janey looks downtrodden._

"_She's so pretty. And look at me… a plain Jane. She's going to have tons of boyfriends. I'll be lucky to have ONE,"-says Janey._

"_You're pretty!"-Megan protests._

"_No, I'm fat, pimply and ugly. Bethany has NEVER had so much as a zit. And mom? Look at her. She's as pretty as an angel…"-Janey is starting to cry now. Megan put her arm around her shoulders, to comfort her. It was starting to rain._

"_Let's get to that diner, Janey. We should eat something, anyway. We have to meet up with Mr. Jameson in an hour,"-said Megan. They enter, and Megan sees Bethany and Jefferson sitting together. Her eyes narrow somewhat. Janey sees this, and immediately gets the hint. Jefferson sees Megan, and signals her to sit with them. Bethany does not like the intrusion. Megan opts to sit next to Janey, as Bethany refused to give up her seat next to Jefferson._

_Jefferson saw a waitress being hassled by a truck driver. He excuses himself. Bethany watches over him with love struck eyes._

"_Oh, look at that man. He is everything I believe a man should be. Strong, handsome, a quiet dignity that hides the spirit of chivalry…"-Bethany went on and on. The truck driver backs off. Jefferson is quite intimidating._

_Megan is relieved that Jefferson did not get in another fight. She always worried about him…_

_Tyler was still at the shop, waiting for the repairs to finish._

"_I wonder if the kids have eaten already. Oh, I hope they found shelter. It's starting to rain,"-he says._

_The owner of the diner came out to see what all the commotion was about._

"_What happened here, eh?"-he asks._

"_Nothing, Mr. Broflovski. It was just a rude customer. But… this boy here helped me out,"-says the waitress. Jefferson looks away, ready to leave._

"_You look familiar, boy. Have I seen you somewhere before?"-asks Mr. Broflovski._

"_No, I doubt it,"-says Jefferson._

_Mr. Broflovski's eyes widen, as the boy's familiarity became clearer._

"_Geoff? Is that you? It's me… Ezekiel,"-says Ezekiel. Ezekiel had changed a lot in 21 years. He has a full grown beard. His eyes are wonderfully expressive. His face is slightly wrinkled. He is still lanky and thin, however._

"_Sorry sir, my name's not Geoff. It's Jefferson,"-says Jefferson, his eyes narrowed. He hated so much as hearing his father's name._

"_Oh, forgive me son. You just remind me so much of my old pal Geoff. He… came to a bad end. I should have known you weren't him. It's just,"-Ezekiel's eyes are starting to water- "You look exactly like him."_

"_Please sir, don't say that name,"-says Jefferson- "I… I hate that name. It belongs to my father."_

"_You dare hate your father's name!? What, may I ask, has he done to deserve such a thing?"-Ezekiel is quite cross._

"_He broke my mother's heart. And her spirit. That's what he did,"-says Jefferson, nothing but venom in his voice, and ice in his gaze._

"_I am… sorry to hear that. But boy… I see now… Son, there's more to that story than you know. Your dad… is the same as my old friend, isn't he? Yes, he is. Listen, son. Your dad, Geoff… he made some mistakes,"-says Ezekiel, tears in his eyes._

"_No shit! If you ever saw my mom, how she's been for the last 19 years because of HIM, you'd hate him too!!!"-Jefferson screams. Bethany and Megan were shaking in fear. Janey clung on to her sister. Megan, in particular, was quite concerned…_

"_Listen, son… I know Bridgette's suffered. But… may I ask you a favor? In the next city, there is a Christian preacher named Justin Blake. He and I were your dad's last true friends. Well… he was his last true friend… Go to him. Learn the truth about your father. Do this as a favor…to me, and to yourself. Please?"-Ezekiel's eyes were full of age, wisdom, hurt and truth. Those eyes reflected so much… Jefferson's anger relented, for a moment._

"…_Fine. I'll go see the preacher. But I will NEVER stop hating my father. Never,"-says Jefferson, full of conviction. He passes by the girls. All his anger vanishes when his eyes meet Megan's._

"_Come on. We need to meet up with Mr. Jameson."-he says to them._

_They exit the diner, and head on over to Tyler. Ezekiel opts to go outside and get some air._

"_What a beautiful rainbow,"-he says._


	5. Chapter 5

Sins of the Mother

Episode 4: A view of a sunset.

Tyler stopped the car for a bit.

"Hey… mind if I make a quick stop at this town? There's… someone here I need to see,"-Tyler said, not looking at anyone in particular.

"Hey, Mister Jameson, you ok?"-Megan asked. She was concerned.

"I'm fine, Megan. Why do you ask?"-Tyler offers a fake smile.

"No reason, really. It's just… you seemed upset for a second…"-Megan looks away at the small town. It was yet another tiny little rural town. There was nothing particularly spectacular about it.

"Before I forget… Bethany, Janey… there's a phone right there,"-Tyler said with utmost seriousness. Both girls knew what he wanted. All five got out of the car. Tyler watched over Janey and Bethany, ensuring that the two girls called their parents.

Megan and Jefferson looked on at the road ahead.

"We'll be at Muskoka in two days,"-said Jefferson.

"yeah…"-Megan said, thinking about what she will do once she got there.

"You never told me… why are we going to Camp Wawanakwa?"- Jefferson asked.

"You probably won't understand…"-said Megan.

"I'd like to at least know,"-said Jefferson, putting his arm around her. Megan, for reasons known only to her, took his arm off her.

"I'm sorry… but…"-Megan could not explain herself. Jefferson just looked away, feeling slightly dejected, but ensuring he'd not show it. Janey saw what had happened.

Bethany hands Janey the phone. Janey's eyes start to water as she sees her sister's face. Bethany's face showed such rage, hurt and confusion. No words could possibly describe it. Tyler sees this, and wants to know what had happened.

"Bethany! Wait up!"-he says to her.

"Mister Jameson, please… leave me alone…"-Bethany will not allow herself to cry. Not, not because of what they said to her.

"What's wrong? You can tell me,"-he says. His face reflects a kind, tender man, willing to go out of his way for his students. In spite of the fact that Bethany technically didn't take his class, he still cared for her.

"No, nothing is wrong,"-she lies. Tyler can see where this is going.

"Listen… just because you don't take my class yet… doesn't mean I don't care about you. If anything is troubling you, you can tell me, ok?"-he smiles. She feels less upset now.

The afternoon breeze was nice and cool. The rain clouds had long dissipated, leaving a cerulean sky above. The sun will set in about an hour and a half.

"Hey kids… I'm going to see that friend of mine. You guys stay here, ok? Oh, Bethany, you can come with me, if you'd like,"-Tyler says. Bethany nods, and follows him.

"Mr. Jameson sure is nice to Bethany,"-says Janey.

"I took his class last semester. He's actually nice to all the students, boys and girls alike. It's why he's so popular,"-says Megan.

"Yeah… not like Mr. Watson,"-says Jefferson, remembering the old History Teacher.

"I haven't taken a class with him yet,"-said Megan.

"Try to avoid him, if you can. He's tough. And he's a stuck up jerk,"-says Jefferson.

The Sun is starting to set. The sky is turning a slightly paler blue. Some clouds are starting to get a pink color. The breeze, refreshed by the earlier rain, is nice and cool, feeling slightly wet and very refreshing. The grass is wet and slightly slippery. Snails can be seen crawling in the pavement, whilst earthworms burrow back underground. Tyler and Bethany made their way to visit his old friend.

Jefferson and Megan were watching the sun set over the horizon. Janey kept a slight distance from them. Just a slight one, though.

"Jefferson?"-asked Megan.

"Yeah?"-Jefferson responded.

"About… what happened at that diner earlier today,"-said Megan.

"What?"-Jefferson's face darkened somewhat. Any experience relating to his father is always a sour one to him.

"Do you really intend to meet up with that preacher?"-she asked. Janey started getting nervous.

"I'm thinking about skipping that. Look… I don't give a rat's ass about my father. He did what he did, and the damage is not just done, it's still there,"-he said, rather bitterly.

"Don't… don't think like that. Please…"-Megan holds his hand. He snatches it away.

"Megan…"-He said, sternly. His eyes say it all. Janey is trembling with fear.

Tyler and Bethany finally made it to his old friend. Bethany's eyes widen, as she gasps in realization. The tombstone sat alone, on top of a small hill. The old tombstone was well kept. The presence of fresh flowers are a clear indicator that this tomb is frequently visited. The epitaph reads: _Here lies Owen Larson. For him, the Sun never rose on a day that did not give him a reason to smile. Though his years were few, there is no doubt that he really lived._

"Owen, my man. Check it out. I totally scored a hot chick's digits,"-Tyler shows the tombstone Maria's phone number- "Dude, she's got to be like 26 or something. Hah, not bad, huh?"

Bethany is speechless. Though she did not know Tyler that long…

"Hey, check her out. Know who that is? That's Lindsay's baby! Yeah, ha ha, Cody knocked her up. Twice! She's got a little sister. This one's called Bethany, the other's Janey. Hey, remember Geoff? Yeah, he got a kid too. A kid named Jefferson…"-Tyler's smile fades- "Yeah bro, I know what he did… I've seen Bridge a couple of times. Man oh man… Don't get me wrong, she still looks great. It's just… well, yeah…Know who else got a kid? Heather. Dude… miss you every day, buddy."

"My sister doesn't have a kid,"-says Bethany.

"Huh?"-Tyler looks at her funny.

"Heather, my sister. She's not pregnant,"-Bethany says.

"You have two sisters?"-asks Tyler.

"No, just one. Heather Jane Banker, my sister,"-says Bethany.

"Oh! Janey's name is Heather?"-asks Tyler.

"I didn't tell you?'-asks Bethany

"Nope,"-Tyler shakes his head.

"Then… who is Heather?"-asks Bethany.

"She was…a camper from the show. Megan's mom,"-says Tyler, not feeling like going into greater detail.

"Oh… well… Why is Megan looking for her?"-asks Bethany.

"Megan is not looking for her,"-says Tyler- "Her mom is dead."

Bethany's eyes widen in shock. She never knew that.

"I… didn't know… when?"-she asked.

"Beth… that was over thirteen years ago. Megan doesn't even remember her,"-he says. Bethany is starting to cry.

"I'm sorry. It's just so sad…"-says Bethany.

"Well… don't feel too sorry for her. Megan's a tough girl. And she was raised well by her grandparents"-says Tyler, hugging her. Bethany allows him to hug her. She trusts him.

"So, what did you wish for last night?"-he asks her.

"Huh?"-she asks.

"Last night, you wished upon a star. What did you wish for?"-he asked again.

"I can't tell you, it won't come true,"-she looks away. His smile fades, he grows concerned over the young girl in his care.

"Oh, look! The first star of the evening,"-says Tyler, pointing to a star.

As Bethany closes her eyes, and whispers her wish, she thinks back to a happier time in her life…

"_OK, Sweetie. Just close your eyes, and make a wish with all your heart. If you keep the faith, it will come true someday,"-said Cody, holding six year old Bethany in his arms. Lindsay looks on, holding five year old Heather Jane in her arms. Janey is feeling sleepy_

"_Oh Bethany, what did you wish for?"-asked Lindsay._

"_Oh, Lindsay. You know that if she told you, it would never come true!"-says Cody. Janey yawns._

"_Oh, honey, know what I wished for?"-asked Lindsay._

"_No, mommy! Don't tell it, it won't come true!"-said little Bethany. Both her parents chuckle. As the crickets chirped, the stars shone brightly in the heavens, twinkling eternally, as the moon shone its light unto the happy family…_

Jefferson, Megan and Janey were watching the sunset. Megan closes her eyes, and thinks back on simpler times…

"_So, Megan. Excited for school tomorrow?"-asked Damien._

"_Yes Uncle Damien. Will you, grandma and grandpa be coming, too?"-asked Megan._

"_Honey, we'll be there to see you off. But… School is where you get to be a big girl. You're gonna make so many new friends,"-said Susan. Clyde wiped away a tear, his granddaughter was growing up so fast. Susan herself had to fight a few tears._

"_Why are you crying, grandma?"-asked Megan, concerned._

"_Oh, honey… you are growing up so fast,"-said Susan. Clyde knelt down, and stroked his granddaughter's hair._

_Damien steps outside, looks out to the stars…_

"Jefferson?"-Megan asked.

"Yeah?"-replied Jefferson.

"I hate it… when you say you hate your father,"-she says this, looking away. He says nothing.

"I grew up without my parents. So… I kind of always asked myself…you know, what it's like to have a mom and a dad…"-she says- "And… when you say you hate your dad… it hurts. I… I want you to go see that man… Justin. Go see him. Please…"

Jefferson stays there, motionless. He seems to be thinking.

"I hate the idea. Meg… you've seen my mother. That look on her face? My father gave her that look, nineteen years ago, when he left her to go pursue a career in porn. He left her so he can inject himself with DRUGS! HE left HER!!! You can't say my hate isn't justified,"-his piercing gaze is softened by Megan's tearful eyes- "But… ok. For you Megan. I'll go see what that preacher has to say."

Tyler looks over at Owen's tomb.

"So… why does Jefferson hate his dad?"-asked Bethany.

"That… is something I have no right to say. You should ask him, instead,"-replied Tyler- "Wait, how do you know about that?"

"Earlier today…umm… he kind of let that slip out…"-she doesn't dare say anymore.

"Look over here. This tomb belongs to my good pal, Owen. He…died of a heart attack. Yep… age 28, dead of a heart attack. He… loved to eat. I mean he LOVED it!"- said Tyler- "Man, he was the real life of a party. Always a smile on his face, always willing to make a joke. Always willing to think the best of others…the angels took him away too soon… Bethany, we… as people, we should be more like him, you know? We should wake up, live every day, with a reason to smile…"

"Why are you saying this?"-she asks.

"Well… because teens these days, they seem to forget what it's like to be happy. They forget that their teen years can be used to make friends, make mistakes, play in the Sun, fall in love, fall out of love… They forget all that. And they, instead, focus on petty things. They focus so much on what's wrong in their lives, what's missing, that they can't see what they have,"-Tyler puts his hands in his pockets, and looks over at the sunset- "I mean… look at that sunset. It's beautiful. Owen… He'd have taken the time to look at that sunset. I've seen too many teens lock themselves away in their I-pods, their TV's, their game boys and game systems… I've even seen one or two take their own lives… Bethany… I'm not saying teens don't have problems… I know they do… but… I am saying that life is beautiful, if you let it be."

The Sun finally sets. Nigh time has come. Tyler and Bethany make their way back to the group…


	6. Chapter 6

Sins of the Mother

Episode 5: A hostel of memories.

The night sky was clear and beautiful. The stars twinkled in their silent, eternal light. The moon shone her light upon the world, as millions upon millions of people gazed up to her, basking in her cold, beautiful silver light. The country road was ever so silent, ever so peaceful, as Tyler's car ran cruised through the darkness.

The interior of the car was no less peaceful Tyler drove, whilst Jefferson sat beside him, keeping an eye on the road, on occasion glancing behind him, to ensure the girls were all right. Janey rested her head on her sister's shoulder, whilst Bethany gazed outside, lost in her own thoughts. Megan also gazed outside, but in the opposite direction.

"Hey guys, tomorrow we reach the city. After that, it's a whole day's drive to Muskoka, and then, by this time the day after, we'll be at Camp Wawanakwa,"-said Tyler- "Of course, I'm assuming we're just going straight through Toronto."

"… Mister Jameson… umm… remember that you told me about that guy who knew my mom?"-asked Megan.

"Oh yeah… Listen guys, we're gonna make a bit of a stop while at Toronto. You guys mind?"-Tyler asks.

"Actually… I promised this guy, Ezekiel, and Megan too, that I'd visit this guy… who knows about my father,"-said Jefferson.

"Ezekiel?"-asked Tyler.

"I think his last names was… Brof something,"-said Jefferson.

"Broflovski,"-Janey added

"Ezekiel Broflovski!? You guys saw Zeke? Why didn't ya'll tell me?"-Tyler asks.

"You know him?"-all four teens ask in unison.

"Sure do. We met at the show! Man oh man… you kids should of told me! I'd have loved to have seen the guy again!"-Tyler says. He is not angry, just surprised.

"We didn't know,"-says Janey

"Oh well, you guys tell me where you saw him. When we get back home, I'm going to make sure to drop by and say hi,"-Tyler says.

An hour had passed. The radio was turned off. All five were enjoying the soft sounds made by the night. Bethany was enjoying a slight breeze in her hair, Janey was listening to the quiet of the night. Megan kept thinking about Camp Wawanakwa…

Jefferson kept his eyes on the road. Upon seeing a familiar building, Tyler pulled over.

"No way! This place is still here! Righteous!!!"-he exclaims excitedly. It was a small hostel. It seems very humble and cozy.

"What is this place?"-asked Janey.

"A long time ago, when I was just a tumbleweed, this hostel is where me and my then girlfriend, Katie, hooked up. Oh man, that's just ONE of my memories of this place!"-Tyler says. All five enter the building. They are greeted by a kindly, middle aged woman.

"Welcome to the Toronto Steps Hostel. We have vacancy, so don't…"-the woman recognized Tyler- "Tyler! Is that you!? My God, it IS! How are you!?"

"Samantha! Girl, it's been ages!"-says Tyler, as he shakes her hand- "these kids are friends of mine. They're with me."

"Oh wow. You've grown so much… you've changed a lot since I last saw you… 13 years ago…"-says Samantha.

Samantha has blonde hair, blue eyes, and a small nose. She is aged 45.

"Oh man, where are my manners!? Guys, this is Samantha! She and I go way back!"-says Tyler.

"Pleasure to meet you, madam,"- says Janey. She, Bethany, Jefferson and Megan shake her hand.

"Hey Tyler, I still have that old photo album from when you and I had our days here. Wanna see?"-she asks.

"Sure Sam!"-Tyler says, excitedly. She goes behind the counter, and takes out a well worn photo album. She opens it.

The first photo shows Tyler, aged 18. He is accompanied by Katie and Samantha. Tyler is wearing a white shirt with jeans, Katie wears a striped top with denim pants. Samantha, who looks much younger in the photo, is wearing a tie dye shirt and a skirt.

"Hey kids, the girl in the pic is my girl from back then. Course, in this pic, we weren't yet dating. That came after. See… this is where we caught up with each other,"-Tyler says, he smiles as he remembers that day…

_Tyler walks into the hostel. He is far too tired to keep on driving. _

"_Man oh man… I sure hope there's vacancy left…"-he says to himself. He rings the bell. Samantha walks in._

"_Hey bud, need to crash?"-she asks._

"_Yeah, got any room left?"-he asks._

"_Sure do. Come on in, rest up. Ya look like death, dude,"-she says._

"_Ha ha, yeah. Been driving since sunup,"-he says._

"_Where ya going?"-she asks._

"_Nowhere…"-he says, sadly. His eyes are staring down at the floor, no longer looking at the beautiful pair of blue eyes that look at him with great concern._

"_A tumbleweed, eh?"-she says, then laughs a little- "We get them here a lot. Come on, rest your feet with the rest of us."_

_She leads him to a group of fellow travelers. Most of them are college students from other countries, like the UK, or the US. However, there was one girl in the group whom Tyler recognized._

"_Katie?"-he asks. Katie looks at him, and she beams him a terrific smile._

"Oh man, those were the days, huh Sam?"-Tyler asks her. She smiles.

"Yeah… man oh man, I can't get over how different you've gotten. Hey, check this photo out,"-she says.

In this photo, Tyler is aged 19. He is accompanied by Owen, Izzy and Katie. This time, Tyler is wearing a Hawaiian shirt with matching shorts, Owen is wearing a checkered shirt and denim shorts. Katie is wearing a pink summer dress. Her hair is down, instead of her more familiar pig tails. Izzy is wearing a green tank top with green shorts, green sandals and blue socks. Her hair is as wild and frizzy as ever.

Upon seeing his old pal, Tyler develops a nostalgic look on his face.

"Is that him, mister Jameson?"-asks Bethany, concerned for her older friend.

"Yeah… kids, that's Owen… my old pal… He's gone now, eating that big buffet in the sky…"-Tyler says. Tears are starting to form in his eyes, as memories of times gone by flood his mind…

"_Yo, Tyler! You were right, this place is awesome!"-says Owen, excitedly._

"_Duh! It's because of the fact that so many cool people, like, make this place come alive!"-says Katie._

"_Yeah, Tyler! How'd you and Kate find this place?"-asks Izzy. She is sitting on top of Owen's shoulders, in spite of the fact that there are plenty of empty chairs around. _

"_Well, guys. You know how it is. The best places, you don't find them, they find you,"-says Tyler. His arm is wrapped around Katie's shoulders. Samantha looks on at the scene. She smiles, happy to satisfy her customers, but…_

"Mister Jameson? Are you all right?"-asks Bethany. She looks at him, concerned. All four teens are concerned for him, but none more than Bethany.

"Don't worry bout me. I… I'm stepping outside for some air,"-he says- "Hey Sam, show them the rest of the pics, would ya?"

"Sure Tyler. And… don't worry about it. I know…"-she says, smiling at him. Her eyes say it all. Tyler opts to step outside. Bethany and Megan follow him.

"Mister Jameson?"-asks Bethany. She grabs his hand.

"Don't worry about me, Beth. I told you, I'm fine,"-he says. He wipes the rest of his tears away.

"What happened?"-asks Megan.

"Nothing… I simply remembered the old times… When you've lived as many as I have… and realize some moments aren't going to be relived again… it gets to ya."-he says. Bethany and Megan, reluctantly, go back inside.

"Beth, Meg. Listen, before you head back… remember. No moment ever comes back again. So… treasure them,"-he says. They nod and head back inside.

"I miss ya, buddy,"-he says, looking at the moon. Megan steps back outside.

"Mister Jameson?'-she says.

"Yeah?"-he replies.

"Thank you,"-she says. She hugs him.

"Your welcome… for what?"-he says, feeling a bit bashful.

"You didn't have to help me this much. You've given me a ride… you've offered me food, and shelter… and you didn't have to. You could have let me walk, like I originally planed,"-she says.

"Remember, when you were taking my class? You were trying to make flapjacks. It was one of your tests,"-he says- "No matter how hard you tried, they never came out right. You could have given up. Many of the other girls did, opting to get that failing grade and simply work it up. You didn't. You were determined."

"Why are you bringing that up?"-she asks, a bit embarrassed.

"I saw how you just kept at it. You kept trying and trying… all by yourself. Never bothering to ask anyone for help, not even me. Eventually, I was so impressed by how you refused to give up, that I forced my help unto you. Once I did, you made the best flapjacks in the entire class,"-he says

"Yeah…"-she says, blushing.

"You got the only A in that test,"-he says, chuckling. She giggles a bit, too.

"Well… I'm heading back in, ok?"-she says. She goes back inside. Tyler stays to look at the moon.

An hour had passed since then. The four teens went to bed. Tyler was still outside. Samantha steps outside as well.

"Hey mister man,"-she says.

"Hey,"-he replies. He is smiling at her.

"Listen, about your bill… forget it. Your money? No good here,"-she says, smiling.

"Come on…I can pay you."-he says.

"I can't charge such a dear friend,"-she says.

"Please?"-he says. She shakes her head. Her smile does not fade. When he is about to protest again, she puts her finger on his lips.

"Tyler… I heard about what you said… about treasuring every moment. It… touched my heart. It really did,"-she grabs his hand- "Just as you say… I treasured every moment you were here."

"Me too… you have no idea what you, and this place, mean to me,"-he stares directly into her eyes- "When I was just a drifter, you gave me a place to stay. Everything I am today… I owe to you, Samantha."

"I was so… sad, so hurt… the day you told me you had to go back,"-she says, tears forming in her eyes.

"Sam, I'm…"-he says. She cuts him off.

"But, seeing how good you are with those kids, how much you have changed. I understand… It was all for the best. You were done tumbling in the wind. You had to go back, get yourself back together,"-she says. She may be crying, but she is only feeling pride at the man she is looking at.

"I couldn't run away anymore. I couldn't just keep running from my problems… you deserved a lot more than a young runaway,"-he says.

"I loved you back then,"-she says, staring at his eyes.

"I loved you too. For each of those six years that I stayed here, helping you run this place… I loved you,"-he says.

"Tyler… I never stopped loving you,"-she says. She leans in closer.

"I never stopped loving you, either,"-he tells her. They kiss under the moonlight.

Meanwhile, Jefferson was dreaming…

"_Mom?"-six year old Jefferson is peering into his mother's bedroom. He hears her crying._

"_Oh, Geoff…"-she says, not noticing her young son at her doorway. DJ is with her._

"_Man, oh man… I can't believe it,"-says DJ, crying as well. Jefferson has never seen DJ cry. He is too nervous to go in._

"_I can't believe it. Geoff… dead,"-says Bridgette, crying her eyes out. DJ is holding her in his arms. Jefferson looks on at this scene…_

Jefferson wakes up. He looks around him. He sits at the foot of the bed, thinking about the day he found out his father died…


	7. Chapter 7

_**Sins of the Mother**_

_**Episode 6: Meanwhile, back at home…**_

It was 9:45 PM. In the tiny town of Lakewood, the people are turning in for the day. Dinner has been eaten, Hockey Monday is over, and now its time for the young children to go to bed. In a small house, just a ways away from the center of town, an old couple reminisce…

"Oh, Clyde… She will never forgive us,"-Susan was in tears. Her granddaughter, Megan, had left two last night. She had called earlier… but she sounded distant, and cold. She barely said anything, other than that she felt she needed to do what she was doing.

"I… I wouldn't blame her if she held a grudge against us for the rest of her life. We… kept information about her mother from her. I know we had good intentions…"-Clyde said. He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.

"Clyde… do I call Damien? Do I ask him to bring her back?"-asked Susan. Her eyes seemed horrified at the idea.

Clyde thought about it for a minute. For several, in fact.

"No. We haven't the right. We…"-Clyde couldn't finish that sentence. After all, it took all his inner strength just to come to terms with the sin he committed against his granddaughter. What right did he have, to keep her from discovering the truth? It must also be admitted, he was afraid of her now. Afraid of her hate… for them.

"She hates us. She must. Oh, Clyde…"-Susan was now crying her eyes out. For thirteen years, Megan was her second chance. Her chance to prove to the world, to HERSELF that, had she been a better mother, Heather would have turned out different.

"Oh, Susan… I'm sure she still…"-Clyde wanted to assure his wife that their granddaughter could never hate the, But, in his heart, he felt that her love for them died the moment she saw her mother…

The night sky was tranquil and beautiful. The stars twinkled, as they have eternally done. The moon shone onto the Earth. In a slightly larger house from the first one, a mother paces back and forth…

"Lindsay, please. You heard Janey, they're fine. It's not like…"-Cody couldn't finish that sentence properly. He saw his wife was not listening to him.

Cody's changed in the past 21 years. Yes, he still has that gap between his teeth. Yes, he's still scrawny, and short. His hair is still brown, though. He wears glasses now, as he developed a need for them in his early thirties. He also keeps his hair neatly trimmed, and wears a suit to work. His job has managed to afford his family a comfortable life. No, they aren't RICH, just comfortable. Very middle class.

"Cody my BABIES are out there! They don't have their toothbrushes, their pajamas, their…"-Lindsay wet on and on, listing the things her daughters forgot to bring with them.

To say that Lindsay was stunning is an understatement. Nature has been very kind to her. Her hair has gone back to her natural brown color, as she no longer dies it blonde. Her hips, however, have grown slightly larger, giving her a full curvaceous body. Her breasts have also become slightly rounder and bouncier. This is due to the fact that she's had two daughters. Her face is as youthful as ever. When people find out she's really 37, their jaws drop. When they find out she's also had two daughters, their jaws hit the floor and stay there. And all the men call Cody a lucky bastard. She's still not too bright, but she makes up for it with maternal instinct and love.

"Lindsay, come on. They're in good hands,"-pleads Cody.

"Whose, Cody? WHOSE HANDS ARE KEEPING MY DAUGHTERS SAFE!!!??? It's not my hands, that's for sure!!!!"-Lindsay was crying now.

"You know Tyler's a good man. He'd take good care of Heather and Bethany,"-said Cody, trying to calm his wife down. It wasn't working.

"Cody, you don't understand. I need to be there! I need to see my daughters! I need to kiss them goodnight, to know how they are doing…"-Lindsay said, in tears.

Meanwhile…

Bethany and Janey were fast asleep at the Toronto Steps Hostel. They slept rather soundly.

Janey was dreaming…

Eight year old Janey was eating her ice cream. It was a Lemon Sensation, from the local Sadie's. She sure loved that particular flavor of ice cream. It was sweet, but not too sweet. It was cool and refreshing, perfect for a summer's day as today. Janey licked her ice cream in pure pleasure. She then tripped, and her cone fell on the ground. Janey began to cry. That was when Bethany, who was walking beside her, took a scoop of her ice cream and placed it on Janey's cone. Janey, upon seeing that act of kindness, smiled happily at her sister.

Janey then woke up. She sat up on her bed. She looked at her sister, who was asleep. She gets up.

"Wow, why would I dream that?"-she asked herself- "I mean… it's a nice memory and all…"

She steps out of the room she shared with Megan and Bethany. She sees Jefferson sitting in the room.

"Jefferson?"-she said to him- "Can't sleep?"

"No…"-he merely said. He sat on the couch, looking at the wall across the room.

"Why not?"-she asks him.

"No reason,"-he says.

"It's past midnight,"-she says, looking at the clock.

"Uh huh,"-he says. She squirms. She feels awkward around Jefferson.

"My sister likes you,"-she says. He does not respond.

"Please be nice to her. She's very good to me… and I don't like seeing her cry,"-Janey says this, with utmost seriousness. Jefferson looks slightly surprised.

Meanwhile, at Jefferson's home…

Bridgette was sitting in bed. She wore her nightwear, which consisted of a t-shirt and pajama bottoms. She kept on thinking about her past. She remembered that day very well…

"Miss Willow? Congratulations!"-said the doctor. Bridgette didn't know how to handle the news. Pregnant at 18? How will her mother react? How will…

Bridgette kept thinking about how to break the news to Geoff.

"God… do I get an abortion?"-she asked herself- "I mean… is it a good idea to give up college for a BABY!?"

Bridgette sat on a park bench. She looked up at the sky, just thinking. She decided to tell Geoff. The two of them could then come to an agreement. Ah, speak pf the devil…

"Bridge!!!"-said Geoff- "Baby, look! I got some money for you! Now, you can go to college!"

"Money!? Where did you… did you get a job?"-she asked, rather surprised.

"Uh huh!! I met this guy, and he said I could do a movie!"-he said- "Paid me over 500 bucks!"

"A movie?"-she asked. Where was this headed?

"Yup! A great one too! See, all I had to do was drop my pants and have pretend sex with this girl,"-said Geoff.

"What!!!!???"-She couldn't believe what she heard. Did he really…?

"Uh, yeah! Come on, Bridge! You wanted to go to college, so here's your chance to,"-he never got to finish that sentence.

"You did WHAT!!!??? GEOFF!!!!"-She was surprised, angry, hurt, jealous, confused, all at once- "How… how could you?"

"Bridge it's not that bad!"-he says- "it's a legit thing!"

"That's what WHORES say!!!"-she's crying now. She's also hitting him…

Bridgett's tears flow freely across her face. She gets up, and walks towards her son's room. She sees his empty bed. She walks towards it, and caresses the sheets as if her own son was in them. She can't smile, not at the moment…

At that moment, back at the hostel…

In a private room, Tyler and Samantha were making love…

Also, just a few feet away…

Janey was thinking about her mom and dad. Jefferson walks up to her.

"Hey…"-he says.

"Hey,"-she replies.

"thinking?"-he asks her.

"Yeah,"-she replies.

"Your mom and dad?"-he asks.

"Yep,"-she replies. He sits right next to her. He sighs.

"I know that your sister likes me. But…"-he says- "I don't like her in that way."

"I…"-she had already guessed that much- "Then… who do you like?"

"Promise not to say anything?"-he asks.

"Sure,"-she replies. He looks around, ensuring no one would hear.

"Megan…"-he says, nearly in a whisper. Janey's eyes bug out.

"Wow…"-she says. She smiles- "I knew that already."

"How?"-he asks, surprised.

"Ummm… That's something only us girls understand,"-she says, giggling at the memory from two days past. Yeah… that was very romantic, how he just appeared out of nowhere, ready to follow Megan to who knows where.

Back at home, Bridgette sits on Jefferson's bed. She is thinking of Geoff, and the last time she saw him…

Clyde had gone back to the living room. In his hands he holds a tiny monkey doll. Its arms had long been stitched back together. In his mind, he replayed that awful memory…

"I threw away my daughter,"-he says, tears in his eyes- "And I lost my granddaughter. I'm an ass."

As Clyde weeps silently, Susan lays on their bed. She thinks about Heather, the daughter she lost.

"Mom! I'm gonna become a celebrity! I'm gonna appear on TV!"-Heather said excitedly. Susan, however, was not paying attention. She was giving herself a facial.

"That's nice honey,"-she says to her daughter. She doesn't even care.

"Okay, I'll be gone for the whole summer. Bye!"-with that, Heather left. Clyde, Damien and Susan have never felt so happy.

Susan's eyes begin to water, as she reminds herself what a horrid person she was.

Lindsay was at her house, pacing back and forth. She has not slept in a while.

"Umm, Lindsay? Maybe… next time they call… We could ask Janey if we could talk to Tyler!"-said Cody- "And we can convince him to drop off Janey and Bethany at Beth's house! Then, we can go over there and pick them up!"

Lindsay's eyes (a bit red at the moment) light up at the idea.

Back at Megan's, Clyde was remembering the day he made the decision to keep his granddaughter from knowing the truth…

It was 1:18 AM. Clyde could not sleep. He just HAD to keep an eye out on Megan. He couldn't get enough of his new, three year old granddaughter. He was quite surprised to see her sitting on the couch, looking outside.

"Megan? What are you doing?"-he asked.

"I'm waiting for mommy and daddy,"-she replied. That broke Clyde's heart. How could he tell her?

"Megan… mommy and daddy aren't coming back,"-he said.

"Why? They always came back,"-she said.

"Well… its because… Mommy went to Heaven,"-he said. He never really believed in God before. But after Heather disappeared…

"Well, why can't she come back?"-Megan asked.

"Because… Heaven is where you go when, if you've been good. But to get there… you have to…"-he had to watch what he said- "Mommy was very good with you. And the Angels in Heaven, they wanted her there, too. So, one night… while she slept… the Angels took her… and now, she's with them."

"Why can't I go there too?"-Megan asked, tears forming in her eyes- "Why can't they give her back?"

"Because… it's not your time yet,"-Clyde said to himself, clutching the toy his daughter loved so much as an infant- "Because if you left now… your grandma and grandpa will be sad, just like you are right now."

Back at the hostel…

Jefferson and Janey just sat there, in the waiting room.

"Why don't you go back to bed?"-he asks.

"I… Kind of feel homesick. But I don't want to leave Bethany alone,"-she says.

"Ah,"-Jefferson starts thinking about what Bethany had told him earlier that day.

"See… I can't leave her. Bethany is not a brat, ok? She's actually the nicest sister anyone could ever have. One time, I dropped my ice cream, and she shared hers with me,"-Janey chuckles as she recalled the memory- "But… she's been acting weird lately. She's been yelling at mom a lot lately. She avoids her, for no reason. She avoids daddy too. She wears tight clothing, but… when she looks at herself in the mirror, she looks so sad… I know my sister needs help, but is too afraid to ask. I have to be by her side."

"Your sister is lucky to have you, Janey,"-Jefferson puts a hand on her shoulder- "Bless you."

Megan laid on her bed. She was dreaming…

5 year old Megan was sitting alone in the rain. She was getting wet. Susan walks out, an umbrella in her hand.

"Honey! Don't stand out I the rain, you'll get sick!"-said Susan, covering her granddaughter with her umbrella.

"Grandma… do you know what happened to daddy?"-she asked.

"Megan…"-Susan didn't know how to reply- "I… I don't know."

"Do you think… daddy's out there. Somewhere?"-asked Megan.

"I'm not sure. But Megan, honey…"-Susan didn't know what to say.

"I'm sure he is!"-Megan said, a wide smile on her face. Suddenly, she began to cough.

"Oh, honey! Now look, you're getting a cold! Come on, let's go inside, make you some soup, and tuck you in!"-Susan picks up her granddaughter, and carries her inside. Though Megan was getting slightly feverish, the thought of her father still being alive remained in her head.

Megan woke up. She lays on the bed, thinking.

"Maybe… dad's still alive…"-she thought to herself.

Janey walked back into the room. She tiptoed to her bed, careful not to wake anyone. Jefferson decided to get some rest himself.


	8. Chapter 8

_Sins of the Mother_

_Episode 7: On a new day, we part ways_

_Evening went, then morning came. As tiny snails raced across the paved road, mildew trickled across the blades of grass. Tiny spiders drank the dew drops that had been collected on their webs. The Sun's warming rays began to evaporate the morning dew from the grass, leaves and spider webs. Birds sang, welcoming the new day, as the Sun rose above the horizon, painting the sky a perfect shade of blue._

_Jefferson stirred in bed, still asleep. Unusual, as he is usually awake by this hour. Bethany and Megan are the first to wake up. Usually, Megan stays asleep for an hour longer. Bethany, during her down time, prefers to sleep in during the mornings. Bethany stretches, still feeling rather tired._

"_Hey,"-says Megan._

"_Good morning,"-Bethany says, still stretching. Megan can't help but feel a bit envious at Bethany's slightly more womanly figure. She gets up, and heads for the bathroom. Bethany sees Janey is still asleep._

"_Weird, she's usually up before I am,"-says Bethany to herself. She goes to feel Janey's forehead- "She feels fresh. Good, she's not sick."_

_Bethany opts to go see Jefferson while she waits for Megan to take a shower. She opens the door to the room he slept in. She sees Tyler's bed is empty._

"_Guess he got up early, too,"-says Bethany. She sees Jefferson, fully asleep. She blushes. She feels… slightly excited, as an idea pops into her head. She imagines herself, in her shorts and tube top, being embraced by Jefferson, himself wearing shorts… and nothing else. As this fantasy plays in her mind, she unconsciously covers her chest with her arms._

_Jefferson wakes up. Bethany, panicking, leaves the room. Jefferson rubs his eyes, unaware that, just a while ago, Bethany was watching him. He looks over at Tyler's bed. There is no sign that anyone had used it last evening. Jefferson just shrugs his shoulders. He yawns. He gets up, and lazily walks over to the bathroom, completely oblivious to the fact that he has a slight case of the 'morning wood'._

_Tyler laid naked next to Samantha. Last night, he and his old lover revisited an old terrain, and rediscovered a passionate flame that laid nearly dormant for eleven years. He wakes up, and takes the time to marvel and appreciate the beauty of his lover. However, his mind did not replay memories of the previous night. Rather, he remembers the first time they had done this…_

_Tyler was sitting at the table. He is merely sitting there, not doing anything in particular._

"_So… you and Katie broke up?"-asked Samantha, sympathy in her eyes._

"_Yeah. At least we broke up o good terms, you know?"-said Tyler, a small smile on his lips._

"_Good. Hey, if you need anything… just ask, okay?"-said Samantha._

"_Thanks Sam. You know? You're one of the best friends I've ever had in my life,"-aid Tyler, his smile now much larger. _

"_Thanks, kiddo,"-said Sam. Her mad blush was quite noticeable. Tyler couldn't help but notice, right then and there, how beautiful she was._

"_Hey… uh… need any help with those dishes?"-asked Tyler, slightly bashfully. She nods. _

_Hours pass. They talk, laugh, and share more than ever before. They spoke about their hopes, dreams, their pasts. Tyler spoke to her about the Island, how he was eliminated so early in the game, how he made so many friends… why he ran away from home. Samantha listened to every last one of his words. Long after the sun had set, Samantha and Tyler were holding hands. In their hearts they knew, this was, until that moment, the happiest moment in their lives…_

Jefferson opens the bathroom door. He steps inside, now nearly fully awake. He sees a figure in the shower curtain, a womanly figure. He can't make out who it is. He blushes madly, embarrassed at his faux pas. Bethany sees him blushing.

"Hey! What were you and Megan doing in there?"-she asks him.

"M-m-m-Megan's in there!?"-he says, feeling more embarrassed. Bethany's eyes widen, and she turns away. He turns away too, too embarrassed about what he had done. His mind begins to imagine Megan, wet and in the nude. He shakes his head, unwilling to allow himself to think like that. At least, not at the moment…

Megan steps out of the bathroom. Bethany rushes in before anyone else can. Megan sits down next to Jefferson.

"Did you sleep well?"-she asks.

"Uhhh, yeah…"-he says, trying his best not to look at her directly. She notices this.

"Today we reach Toronto,"-she says.

"Uh huh,"-he says, still trying to keep his eyes away from her. She feels slightly downtrodden now.

"Are you ok?"-she asks. She puts her hand on his shoulder. Jefferson turns his head towards her. He sees her beautiful raven hair, still wet. Her Asian features were graced by her milky white skin, her long, flowing raven black hair, her bangs that covered her forehead. Her lips were not too thin, not too full, just right. They were rose in color. Her face was perfect to him. It took all his restraint to keep himself from grabbing her and kissing her. And Lord knows, he really, REALLY wanted to. Bethany steps out of the shower at that moment.

"My turn!"-he says quickly. He races to the bathroom.

"Don't forget! That bathroom has an old lock that you have to put on manually, ok?"-says Bethany. Megan gives her a quizzical look.

"Oh! Didn't you notice? That bathroom doesn't have Auto Lock. You have to do it by hand,"-says Bethany. She sees Megan's shocked face, and says- "You forgot, didn't you?"

"It's… been a long time since I've used a manual lock. Didn't know people still used them,"-said Megan.

"This hostel is kind of old fashioned like that,"-says Bethany. Megan gets up from the sofa.

"So, you must be excited,"-says Megan, crossing her arms.

"Why?"-asks Bethany.

"We reach the big city today. Toronto, remember?"-said Megan.

"Oh yeah! Toronto…"-Bethany said, looking away- "My Aunt Beth lives there."

"So… This is where we part?"-asked Megan.

"Huh?"-Bethany gives her a look.

"I'm heading to Camp Wawanakwa…"-says Megan, looking away- "And there's no reason anyone else has to come with me. You…"

"I'm…"-Bethany is unsure what to say. She had wanted to go to the city, but now, she was unsure. At that moment, Janey got up.

Jefferson sat on the toilet. He takes down his pants, and places his hand on his member. He closes his eyes, and for the first time in his life, begins fantasizing about the girl he loves…

"Hey Bethany, since Auntie Beth lives in Toronto, do you think we could go see her?"-asks Janey. Bethany looks away from her sister.

"Maybe… I'd like to see her. It has been a while,"-says Bethany. Megan looks a bit more saddened now.

"Something wrong?"-asks Janey.

"Janey, Bethany… will you be staying with your aunt while I go to Wawanakwa?"-asks Megan. She looks almost sad, as if hoping to hear the word 'no'.

"Hey… you should call your parents,"-said Tyler. He had gotten up a while ago.

"Sure,"-said Janey, looking at Megan and her sister. She goes to the phone, and dials the number.

"Mister Jameson? My mom wants to talk to you,"-said Janey, quite surprised. Tyler takes the phone.

Megan, Bethany and Janey were sitting there, not one word being said.

"Megan… do you want us to stay with our Aunt?"-asked Bethany. Megan does not answer. Bethany bites her lip.

"Do YOU want to stay with her?"-asked Megan.

"I… I want to stay with Jefferson. There are so many things I want to say to him, to ask him…"-says Bethany- "And I also… kinda… want to see why you want to go to that camp."

Tyler puts the phone down. He taps his finger on the wall, thinking about what to say.

"Bethany, Janey… your mom wants me to drop you off at your aunt Beth's house,"-he said to them. Bethany and Janey just nod their heads. Tyler looks at Bethany in particular, analyzing how she reacts. He thought she'd be more excited than this.

Two hours later, after breakfast was eaten…

"So… you leaving again, tumbleweed?"-asked Samantha, smiling.

"Yeah… this guy right here has some business to take care of,"-said Tyler, smiling also. They look into each others eyes, as that old memory replayed in their minds…

"_Tyler… you're really leaving?"-asked Samantha. She is not smiling._

"_Sam… I want to stay with you. My heart wants me to stay. But… I have some things to do,"-says Tyler. He looks determined, yet with a heavy burden in his heart._

"_Tyler… when you came to me, you were running away from your problem… and now…"-she said. Holding his hands._

"_Now… I'm going to face my problems. That… is what a man does. I can't keep running away… Sam, I have to go… I have to wake up and smell the adulthood,"-says Tyler. His eyes show his determination. _

"_Tyler… you are always welcome here,"-says Sam. Her heart begs her to keep him from going. But she knows, this is for the best._

_Tyler's heart wants him to stay. In his heart, he wants to stay by Sam's side… forever. But, he knows… He can't keep running away._

_And for eleven years, those two did not hear from each other again…_

Tyler was in the driver's seat, driving. No one said anything for a while.

"Kids… I have something I'd like to share with you,"-Tyler breaks the silence- "Sometimes, doing the right thing is hard. And sometimes, it's the hardest, most painful thing you ever have to do in your life…"

Tyler's eyes seem to be forming tears. All four teens wondered what he meant by that. Bethany in particular, wanted to ask him if he was ok.

Finally, they had reached Toronto.

Bethany and Janey stood in front of Beth's door. Beth opens the door, She gasps, her smile widens as she sees her two goddaughters. Janey and Bethany hug their aunt, both smiling. Bethany and Janey truly love their aunt Beth.

Beth has changed a bit over the years. Yes, as you remember, her braces are gone. Her hair is no longer in a side pony tail, but rather, is now in a hairstyle reminiscent of a 50's housewife. She wears a suit, not too elegant or professional looking, but not too slouchy either. She looks like an approachable person. Good thing, too, as she is a published author of several motivational books, as well as quite a few young adult novels, one of which is currently in the works of getting the movie treatment. And yes, sadly, she is still single.

"You ok back there, Megan?"-asked Tyler.

"I miss them already,"-she said.

"Yeah…"-was all Jefferson could say. He wanted to comfort her, somehow.

They reach Harold's house.

"So… he lives here, huh?"-says Megan.

"Yup…"-says Tyler.

"…After this… I'm going to go see that preacher, ok?"-says Jefferson.

Meanwhile…

Bethany was crying silently. Beth walks in.

"Bethany, honey? Why are you crying?"-asks Beth.

"Auntie… I… I don't want to go back home…"-says Bethany. She embraces her Godmother, and lets her tears flow freely. Janey, standing just outside the door, cries silently with her sister…


	9. Chapter 9

_**Sins of the Mother**_

_**Episode 8: Memories of Heather**_

"_**So, this is it, huh?"-asked Megan- "Harold's house."**_

"_**Yup, the home of Harold Cheever Doris McGrady V. We just call him Harold though,"-said Tyler- "Oh! And don't call him Doris, ok? He hates that."**_

_**Jefferson smirks a bit at the 'Doris' part. **_

"_**You told him we were coming?"-asked Megan.**_

"_**Yup, yesterday, while I was waiting for my car to get fixed,"-said Tyler- "He understood why you'd want to ask him about your mom."**_

_**Megan puts her hands in her pockets, and kicks the ground a bit. She inhales slowly, then exhales. Jefferson puts his arm around her shoulder, showing his support. Megan looks at him, smiles a bit, and knocks on the door. Harold answers.**_

"_**Yes, how may I… Heather!?"-asks Harold, shocked- "I thought… wait… no, you must be her daughter! LeShawna, she's here! Heather's girl is here!!!"**_

_**Harold has changed a bit in the last 21 years. His red hair is graying out, or rather, what's left of it. He has a rather large bald spot on his head now. He sports a reddish gray mustache, and he is slightly hunched over. Otherwise, he's the same old Harold.**_

"_**Wow, you look just like your dear departed mother!"-he says, holding her hands- "Same eyes, same face, same hair… wow, you're Heather part two! Well, where are my manners!? Come on in!"**_

_**Tyler, Jefferson and Megan enter Harold's house. Harold gasps upon seeing Jefferson.**_

"_**Geoff? No it can't be. You must be his boy!"-says Harold, extending his hand.**_

"_**My name is Jefferson, sir. Pleased to meet you,"-he says, shaking his hand.**_

"_**Wow, polite. Bridgette did a bang up job… How is she?"-asks Harold, his smile fading slightly.**_

"_**Well… she's doing well, you know?"-says Jefferson. **_

"_**Oh… She and I, well… we were acquaintances back on the show,"-said Harold.**_

"_**Harold! I'm on my way!"-said a voice from upstairs. It was LeShawna. A machine's whirring can be heard coming from the stairs. A minute later, LeShawna arrives.**_

"_**Wow! If I didn't know Heather… was no longer with us, I'd swear she was right here in front of me!"-said LeShawna, looking at Megan with nostalgic eyes.**_

_**Looking at LeShawna, one can't help but feel slightly shocked at how she looks like now. She's in a wheelchair now, her legs seemingly long since surrendered their use. Her eyes, however, remain as fierce and loving as you remember them to be.**_

"_**Hello, madam,"-says Megan, extending her hand.**_

"_**You sure you're Heather's girl!? She ain't ever been this polite! Not the way I remember, at least!"-says LeShawna, laughing- "You may look like yo momma, but the two of you, different as night and day!"**_

_**Megan thinks about what LeShawna had said. **_

"_**Well, come on, skinny!"-she says to Harold- "Ain't ya gonna offer our guests a seat!?"**_

"_**Oh! Sorry guys. Have a seat!"-says Harold, chuckling at his faux pas. The three sit down.**_

"_**Yo Harold, you know why we came here, right?"-asks Tyler.**_

"_**Yeah… Heather…"-Harold takes off his glasses, and rubs his eyes. LeShawna clears her throat slightly, looking away. They both think about where to start.**_

"_**Ummm, may I ask a few questions about my mom?"-asks Megan.**_

"_**Oh, sure honey! Ask away,"-says LeShawna.**_

"_**What type of woman was she?'-asks Megan. LeShawna and Harold look down, thinking about what to say.**_

"_**I can't say for sure what kind of WOMAN she was. But, I can say what kind of GIRL she was,"-says LeShawna- "But sweetie, let me say this first: There ain't lots to say that's good." **_

_**Megan ponders this, rubs her chin, and says- "Tell me anyway."**_

"_**Well, yo momma… she was a nasty piece of work!"-says LeShawna- "She was meaner than a snake, and more two faced than a dollar coin!"**_

_**Megan winces a bit. LeShawna notices, and immediately stops.**_

"_**Please, go on,"-says Megan.**_

"_**You really don't have to,"-says Jefferson. He places his hand on Megan's shoulder, and looks at her with great concern. Harold notices this.**_

"_**No… please continue,"-Megan insists. LeShawna hesitates a little, but relents.**_

"_**She sure was a mean one. She…"-LeShawna had no idea how to finish that sentence.**_

"_**I think, you should know that, not all the things she did were shown on the show,"-said Harold- "You have seen the show, right?"**_

"_**No, I don't watch that much TV,"-says Megan.**_

"_**Well, anyway… there was this one time, after Beth got eliminated,"-said Harold. He begins to reminisce…**_

_**Heather was eating her marshmallow, looking over at the dock. As the Boat of Losers arrives to take Beth away, Heather looks on with glee. Sadie and Harold walk by, and see her. They decide to hide in the bushes, away from her.**_

"_**Oh my gosh! Look at that mean girl, looking all happy!"-said Sadie- "How can anyone be like that?"**_

"_**Yeah… why is she so satisfied?"-asked Harold.**_

"_**Oh, I, like, talked to Lindsay the other day. Seems like Beth, the one that got eliminated today, like, totally got into a fight with Heather, and she, like, quit the alliance!"-said Sadie.**_

"_**Wow,"-said Harold- "So… she's happy to get rid of someone she considers a traitor."**_

"_**No she's happy because she's a witch and a meanie!"-said Sadie. Heather begins to cough a bit. She sneezes.**_

"_**Guess she must have gotten a cold,"-said Harold- "I can't believe they locked her in that fridge."**_

"_**I know, right?"-said Sadie- "She so had that coming!"**_

_**Harold and Sadie sneak off, on their way to see LeShawna. Harold looks back at Heather one last time, and thinks to himself- "She could have died."**_

**LeShawna just sits there, observing Megan's reaction.**

"**You know?"-says LeShawna- "That sort of thing is something that, in retrospect, seems kind of… you know, unforgivable. She really could have died in that fridge."**

"**So… she really was a witch, huh?'-asks Megan, looking at her feet.**

"**Sometimes she was,"-said Harold- "But, other times, she really acted rather civil towards us."**

"**Know what?"-said LeShawna- "I remember this one time…"**

_**LeShawna was sitting next to Gwen.**_

"_**Hey home girl, you gonna be ok?"-she asked.**_

"_**Oh, LeShawna, it hurts so much. Seeing Cody like that…"-Gwen says. She has her head down.**_

"_**Well, Gwen, he did get pretty messed up,"-said LeShawna. **_

_**After an hour had passed, LeShawna decided to walk around the lake a bit to clear her head.**_

"_**Poor little skinny boy, had to get all messed up like that,"-she thought to herself. Voting off Cody has been the hardest decision she had made so far. That was when she saw Heather and Lindsay talking. She decided to eavesdrop, see if they were behaving.**_

"_**Umm, Heather? You look mad. Are you mad?'-asked Lindsay. Heather kept her arms crossed, looking at the lake.**_

"_**So, uh, Beth's no longer in our alliance, huh?"-asked Lindsay. Heather kept silent, her piercing gaze fixated on the lake.**_

"_**Umm… Okay, uh… so, uh, what do we do know? Invite Omar into our alliance? Try to get Beth back?"-asked Lindsay **_

"_**He almost died today,"-said Heather.**_

"_**Who? Caleb?"-asked Lindsay.**_

"_**Cody… He didn't have that coming,"-replied Heather, keeping her gaze on the lake. She was eyeing the direction in which the Boat of Losers took Cody…**_

"**Yeah. She had her moments,"-said LeShawna.**

"**Who's Cody?"-asked Megan.**

"**Cody Banker, Bethany and Janey's dad,"-said Tyler.**

"**Oh yeah! Hey Tyler, where are those two? You said they were with ya!"-said LeShawna.**

"**I had to leave them at Beth's"-he replied.**

"**Oh, too bad. I wanted to meet them,"-said LeShawna. She sees that Megan looks a bit down.**

"**Oh, honey, something wrong?"-she asks.**

"**No… nothing. Please, continue telling me about my mom,"-Megan replies.**

"**Well, anyway… She was a complex girl in many ways,"-said LeShawna- "I never really understood why she was so afraid of Sumo wrestlers, for example. Ugh! And she had the weirdest taste in foods! She just loved eating dill pickle chips!"**

"**That's a good flavor of chips. They're my favorite,"-said Megan.**

"**Hah! Bet ya hate barbecue flavored chips, too?"-says LeShawna.**

"**Ewww!!! Gross!!!!"-said Megan, disgusted.**

"**Just like yo momma,"-said LeShawna, laughing.**

"**Man oh man, this is just like old times, huh guys?"-asks Harold.**

"**Yup, back on that Island. That's where we are going,"-said Tyler.**

**Meanwhile, back at Beth's house…**

**Janey and Beth were sitting on the table. Beth drank some coffee, while Janey drank a soda.**

"**So Janey, how's school?"-asks Beth.**

"**Fine. I got an A on all my courses except Gym and English. I got a B- on English… and a C in Gym,"-says Janey.**

"**And what about Bethany?"-asks Beth.**

"**Bethany got an A in English, a B in math and History, an A- in Gym, a B- Science and an B+ in Geography,"-said Janey.**

"**That is good. You girls are doing so well in school. I'm so proud of you two!"-said Beth. That was when Bethany came in.**

"**Feeling better, Bethany?"-asked Beth. That was when she noticed something- "Bethany! You're not wearing any makeup!"**

"**Huh?"-asked Bethany. It was true, she was not wearing any makeup. And she looked so beautiful without it. Beth nodded in approval, while Janey just looked away, feeling worse over her own looks.**

**Back at Harold's…**

"**So, anyway,"-said Harold- "There were some things your mom never showed other people. She seemed to be the kind of girl who was preoccupied with appearances."**

**Megan simply sighs. Harold nods, knowing what was going through her mind.**

"**But, sometimes, she'd let slip who she really was inside,"-said Harold- "I remember this one time…"**

_**Harold was a bit saddened over the fact that Sadie got eliminated yesterday. He sighs, and kicks the ground.**_

"_**Crap… Sadie's gone now. Now… I have no one to talk to. Stupid Courtney…"-said Harold, putting his hands in his pockets. He briefly glances at the Gopher cabin, and sighs.**_

"_**I wish I had the guts to tell her…"-he says to himself. He digs into his pockets, in search of his yo-yo.**_

"_**Where did I leave it?"-he asks himself. He goes in search for his yo-yo.**_

"_**Man, first they kick off Ezekiel… then Noah, Cody… and now Sadie,"-he says to himself- "And jerks like Duncan stay in the game."**_

_**He returns to where he had last left his yo-yo.**_

"_**Weird, I thought I left it here,"-he says to himself. Suddenly, he hears a girl giggle. He recognize the voice.**_

"_**heather?"-he says, astonished. He hides in the bushes and watches Heather play with his yo-yo. She doesn't do any tricks of any kind, she just lets it drop, and pulls it back up. She's smiling, and not like she usually does. This smile is authentic, a product of the fun she is having.**_

"_**Hah, she's playing like a newbie,"-he thinks to himself. Suddenly, Heather hears someone approaching. She ceases to play with the yo-yo, puts it back where she found it, and leaves. A few minutes later, Gwen arrives, looking for a place where she could be alone. Harold gets up from where he was, and retrieves his yo-yo.**_

"**I kind of wanted to teach her how to play some REAL yo-yo,"-says Harold- "I never got a chance…"**

**Megan pulls out her own yo-yo. It's pink. There's nothing special about it. **

"**Mom liked playing yo-yo too?"-she asks.**

"**Yeah. She wasn't good at it, though,"-said Harold.**

"**You're good at playing yo-yo, right Megan?"-asks Jefferson.**

"**Kinda. I can walk the dog, and go Round the World,"-she replies.**

"**Sounds like you got some skills,"-says Harold. Megan blushes.**

"**Man, look at this girl!"-says LeShawna- "She and her momma… know what I'm saying?"**

"**Yeah… imagine my surprise when I first met her…"-said Tyler.**

_**It was the first day of school. Tyler had already greeted his third class, and was ready for role call.**_

"_**Ok, we got: Gwendolyn Stacy, Mary Jane Watts, Luis Lane… am I in a comic convention or what?"-he says, laughing. His students laugh as well. **_

"_**Ok, seriously now,"-he says- "When I call your name, please say 'here', ok?"**_

_**The students say 'ok'.**_

"_**Ok then, Jane Deer, Kyle Ranger, Blaise Bellemere, Wind Luffy, Megan Winslow,"-Tyler checks to see which students say 'here'. When he sees 15 year old Megan, his jaw drops.**_

"_**Something wrong, teacher?"-she asks.**_

"_**No, you just look like someone I know,"-was all Tyler could say.**_

"**Megan, honey…"-LeShawna looks at Megan- "you feeling alright?"**

"**I don't know…"-she replies- "I mean, I've lived all my life with this image of my mom… now I find out that… it wasn't the truth…"**

"**I'm sorry, Meg,"-says Tyler- "Your grandparents didn't mean to hurt you. They just..."**

"**Grandma and grandpa… I should call them sometime,"-Megan says- "But… I still want to learn more about my mom. And my dad, too!"**

"**Sorry, honey. We never met your dad,"-says LeShawna, looking at Megan with much sympathy in her eyes.**

"**What was his name?"-Harold asks.**

"**Paul… I think…"-says Megan- "That's all my uncle ever told me about him."**

"**Now that I think about it… maybe Gwen would know about him!"-says LeShawna.**

"**Who?"-asks Megan.**

"**Gwen's and old friend of ours. She lives on the other side of town with her husband. She's the one who told everyone about your mom… you know,"-says LeShawna.**

"**Well then, to Gwen's house we go!"-says Tyler. Megan looks at him, and nods her head. Jefferson also nods, ready to learn more.**

"**Oh! But first… Jefferson, would you like to go see that preacher first?"-asks Megan**

"**Which preacher?"-asks Harold, curious.**

"**Just some guy called Justin Blake"-Jefferson responds.**

"**Justin!? We know him! He's our preacher!"-says LeShawna- "C'mere, we'll give you his address."**

"**Thanks,"-says Jefferson. Though he is not eager, at all, to learn more about his father, he was doing so to keep his promise…**


	10. Chapter 10

Sins of the Mother

Episode 9: Memories of Geoff's last days on Earth.

An old Bible stands on the small side table, as its owner drinks his coffee. It was a Monday, and the preacher was preparing his next sermon, as he dutifully does every week.

"Honey, would you like some honey with your scones?"-asks the preacher's wife. She was an average sized woman, about 5 foot 6 or so. Her hair was blonde, long and straight. Her face was pointed, and her lips were thin. Her eyes were a deep blue, and her voice was very womanly. Her skin was white, and her chest was a modest B cup. Also, her hips were average sized.

"No thanks, these are fine as they are,"-the preacher says. He looks at his Bible, seeking inspiration for that sermon. His wife looks at him, and smiles, proud of the man she calls her husband. She can't help but compare him to how he was when she first met him…

"_Excuse me, sir,"-she says- "I'd like to share one of these with you."_

_She hands him a Gospel tract. Justin looks at it, and says- "Yeah, uh, fine. I'll, uh, read it later, k?" He winks at her, but she is in no way flattered._

"_Please make reading it a priority,"-she says- "I'm concerned for your soul."_

"_Yeah,"-he says- "My soul is just fine, thank you very much."_

Christine Slate chuckles at herself, remembering the man she met, and how he changed into the man she loved. She goes back into the kitchen, and checks on the muffins she was making. These were homemade, made from fresh ingredients. Christine prided herself in her domestic skills.

The phone rings. Christine will pick it up. Justin paces back and forth, waiting for inspiration to hit him. He tries to come up with something, anything. Last week he spoke on the virtue of charity. However, he finds that he can't come up with anything.

"What should I talk about?"-he asks himself- "I mean… what theme should I explore? What do the people need to hear?"

Justin has changed a lot in the last 21 years. His eyes seem a bit hollow at times, and his entire body retains the scars of a lifetime dedicated to vice and sin. However, within those eyes one can see a true man of the faith. One who may have lost a bit of hair, and a bit of muscle mass, but has replaced it with a spiritual strength unlike many have ever witnessed.

"Honey?"-His wife alerts him- "That was LeShawna. She says we should be expecting a very surprising visitor."

"Who?"-he asks her.

"Get this, she said it was Geoff's boy,"-she says. Justin's jaw drops. Geoff's son…

Justin knew, he was going to have to answer some tough questions.

Meanwhile, at Beth's…

Bethany was staring out the window. Here she was, in the city. It was what she wanted. Just two days ago, she was looking out her bedroom window, wishing she were at the city, where she felt she belonged. And here she was, feeling no better than when she was at home…

Janey drank her soda, reading Beth's latest manuscript. She was enjoying every sentence.

"Wow, Auntie. This new book of yours is gonna be great!"-she says.

"Thank you, honey,"-Beth replies- "I don't care what the critics say, the only opinions that matter to me are those of my two goddaughters!"

The phone rings. Beth picks it up…

Also, at that moment…

"So, Jefferson, exited to learn more about your dad?'-asks Tyler. Jefferson just gives him a look. His steely glare is enough to send shivers down any spine.

"Okay, forget I asked,"-says Tyler, turning his gaze toward Megan. She's looking at her yo-yo.

"Thinking about what Harold told you?"-asks Tyler.

"Yeah…"-she replies.

"I never knew your mom liked playing yo-yo,"-he says.

"Neither did I…"-she says.

"Well… we're almost at Justin's,"-says Tyler- "So… you told Ezekiel you'd come. That the reason you're coming here?"

"Kind of… what made up my mind was the fact that I promised Megan I'd come here,"-Jefferson replies. Tyler nods. Megan looks at her yo-yo…

A knock on Justin's door. Justin fixes his tie, and gulps. He is ready. He opens the door, and sees Jefferson. Upon seeing him, he nearly faints. The resemblance is nearly uncanny.

"Had I not witnessed your father's burial with my own eyes… I'd swear…"-he says. Jefferson merely extends his hand.

"Mister Brof… something asked me to come see you,"-Jefferson says. Justin shakes his hand. He is ready. As they step inside, Tyler pulls Megan to the side.

"So, why did you ask Jefferson to come here?"-asks Tyler.

"Because… I hate it when he says he hates his father,"-she says in a saddened voice.

"Well… should we stay with Jefferson, or go to Gwen's?"-Tyler asks.

"Jefferson was there for me when I learned more about my mom,"-she replies- "I should be there for him when he learns more about his dad."

"Good answer,"-Tyler replies. After Justin invites them in, they enter.

"Well, tell me about my dad,"-Jefferson says. He has his arms crossed. It's clear that he is merely asking to fulfill an obligation.

"What would you like to know, specifically?"-asks Justin. Jefferson merely grits his teeth in anger.

"Jefferson…"-Megan places her hand on his shoulder. Once his eyes meet hers, Jefferson's anger disappears. His gaze softens considerably.

"I know that look,"-says Justin- "Geoff always had that look when Bridgette was with him."

"Huh?"-Jefferson asks, puzzled.

"Geoff loved Bridgette more than anyone else on the planet,"-Justin continues- "Although, I'm sorry to say… I wasn't there much when those two were together…"

"Wait, wait, WAIT!!!"-Jefferson's gaze could pierce steel- "My dad could NEVER have loved my mom!!!!"

"Why do you say that?"-Justin asks, looking surprised.

"Have you ever seen my mom!?"-Jefferson says- "That look in her eyes… that hurt look. HE did that to her!!!!"

"And how did he give her that look?"-Justin asks.

"When he abandoned her. When he left her… to pursue a career in pornography…"-Jefferson says, heaving in anger.

"Son… that is not the whole story,"-says Justin- "You… your mother was just 18 when she had you."

"I know that,"-Jefferson replies.

"She was going to college… she gave that up to have you. You know that much, right?"-Justin says. Upon seeing Jefferson nod, he continues- "Geoff entered the industry… to help your mom pay for her tuition."

Jefferson looks on incredulously. Justin continues- "Ezekiel told me all about that encounter…"

_Geoff was walking along the sidewalk. Ezekiel was right there beside him._

"_Maybe… I could get a loan?"-Geoff asks._

"_Um, I think they only give out loans to people with jobs, eh?"-says Ezekiel- "I still think a student loan is her best bet."_

"_Yeah, but…"-Geoff scratches hi head- "My bro told me that those can really pile up as you get older."_

"_Scholarship?"-Ezekiel offers._

"_She applied but,"-Geoff's head is hanging low- "They rejected her. They said they already had too many applicants."_

"_Huh,"-Ezekiel says- "Maybe they just reached their white girl quota, eh?"_

"_Nah, that's how the US does things,"-Geoff says. They keep on walking. Eventually, they pass this woman with large breasts. She looks Geoff over, and likes what she sees._

"_Hey you! The blonde guy,"-she calls out._

"_Who, me?"-Geoff replies._

"_Yeah, you. How'd you like to be in a movie?"-she asks- "You'll get five hundred big ones."_

_Geoff accepted enthusiastically. Ezekiel, however, had a bad feeling…_

"That woman's name was Amanda Lee,"-says Justin- "The devil takes many names, aliases, and that one time, he went by Amanda Lee."

"My mom always said… a man offered him that job,"-says Jefferson, incredulous.

"That's what Geoff told her,"-says Justin- "He was afraid of telling Bridgette the truth. He must have figured that, if he told her it was a man that had offered him the job, she wouldn't get jealous…"

"Hah, so not only was my dad an ASS, he was a liar as well,"-says Jefferson, clenching his fists.

"Excuse me young man, I don't appreciate that language,"-says Justin- "And… yes, lying to your mother was wrong. But… in his defense, as soon as he got that money, he went to Bridgette intending to give her every penny."

"So? What happened after that?"-Jefferson asks, only a bit interested.

"Well… your mom found out about the 'movie' he did…"-Justin felt that he didn't need to delve further into THAT part of the tale- "And after she… you know… your dad went back to the Devil. He went to Amanda's house… and that is where the Devil herself seduced him with drugs, sex and alcohol…"

Jefferson remains silent. Megan's eyes are wide in shock. Tyler gulps, knowing where this story was going…

"God has a way of ensuring we pay for our sins… Your mom was divinely guided to THAT house… and she…"-Justin dared not go any further. Jefferson was getting up.

"I don't need to hear another word!"-He says. His eyes reflect only the purest rage- "I've always hated my dad. Now… Damn him!!!!"

"Son… please sit down… there's more to the story…"-Says Justin. Once more, it is Megan that convinces him to stay.

"Anyway… after that… that was when I met up again with your dad,"-says Justin. He fiddles with his tie- "I was… a different man back then. A bad man, one reveling in vice and sin. A Hell bound man."

Jefferson just stays on his spot, listening. Justin continues- "Your father and I… did things we could never be proud of… He married, eventually. Some woman named Andrea… she, too, was a lost soul…"

Christine comes in, and serves the guests some coffee. All three of them say 'thank you'. Christine eyes Jefferson nervously. She was well aware of this history.

"Anyway… Jefferson, was it? Your dad… he never loved her. I could tell,"-Justin says- "Because, unless Andrea was in the room… Geoff always spoke about Bridgette."

"So? He threw her away,"-Jefferson says- "What does it matter that he still talked about my mom?"

"Because, up until he turned 21, he always spoke about her,"-Justin says- "Sometimes, he'd have to re-shoot entire scenes, just because… wait, um… I don't think I should say that in front of a minor."

Jefferson just shook his head. Megan blushed, whilst Tyler would have found that funny under more relaxed circumstances.

"Your dad always carried a torch for your mom,"-Justin continues- "He drowned himself in alcohol in an attempt to put it out. The Devil surrounded him with the demons of sex and drugs. The Devil thought he had won. But… let me tell you. God has a way of taking away any victory old mister Satan might get…"

_Justin was suffering from vertigo. He had consumed far too much cocaine. He stumbles upon the hard sidewalk, his vision far too blurry to make any sense of what he was seeing. His nose is bleeding profusely. His legs give out, and he collapses unto the ground._

_Justin wakes up. He is now in a hospital. Next to him was some girl._

"_Hey… you're that girl I met the other day…"-he says. She wakes up at that moment._

"_You're finally awake,"-she smiles at him- "I found you on the ground. You looked terrible."_

"_How long was I out of it?"-he asks._

"_You've been here for nearly a day,"-she says, still smiling at him- "We almost lost you."_

"_I… I don't want to die,"-he is now in tears- "I saw a terrible place… I don't want to die…"_

_She is now holding him, her eyes forming tears. "I gave you a tract, remember?"-she asks- "Did you get to read it?"_

"_I'm sorry… I didn't…"-he says- "What's your name?"_

"_My name is Christine,"-she says._

_Christine spent most of her time alongside Justin. Once he was released from the hospital, Justin decided to quit the life he led, and become a born again Christian. After that, he and Christine fell in love, and married. That was when he decided to become a preacher, much like Christine's father._

"Son, I once nearly died,"-Justin says- "But Jesus himself saw fit to give me a second chance. I saw the pits of Hell with these eyes of mine. And I knew, I owed it to God to save as many of His children from those flames as I could."

Jefferson just remains seated, paying attention to the story. He does not seem moved. Christine goes to the kitchen, and breathes heavily. In her heart, she asks God to let Jefferson shed his hate away.

"I gave myself a mission. To bring Geoff and Andrea to Jesus,"-Says Justin- "To take them away from the Devil's snare."

"So, did he ever accept him?"-asks Jefferson- "Jesus, I mean."

"Well,"-says Justin, fiddling with his tie- "Yes. Let me tell you that story. But I warn you… it does not end happily."

"Yeah, with his death,"-says Jefferson. Justin breathes in, and narrates…

_The sound of a crash had awakened Justin and Christine. Putting on their clothes, they rush outside to see if anyone got hurt._

"_Christine, call the emergency number!"-says Justin. He rushes towards the crash victim._

"_Oh my God!"-Justin recognizes the victim- "Geoff!!! Are you ok!?"_

"_Heather…"-Geoff utters weakly- "I'm… a kingdom of dirt… and a crown of… shit."_

"Why would he utter my mom's name?"- asks Megan.

"For a while, I thought it was because his mind was asking for the girl he lusted after,"-says Justin. Megan and Jefferson look shocked. Justin continues- "But… after I learned that Heather had died just a little earlier, that's when I realized… He had seen the light."

"Huh?"-asks Megan- "What do you mean?"

"I believe that God had sent Heather's soul back to Earth,"-says Justin- "To bring him away from sin. It worked, too…"

Justin remembers that day…

_Geoff was laid in a hospital bed. Justin sat beside him._

"_Justin?"-asks Geoff, weakly._

"_Yeah Geoff, I'm here,"-says Justin._

"_Did you… call her?"-asks Geoff._

"_Yeah… she's coming tomorrow,"-says Justin, tears in his eyes- "I hope she can make it."_

"_Justin?"-he asks- "When I die, will I go to Hell?"_

"_You don't have to,"-says Justin- "All you need to do… is ask Jesus for forgiveness."_

"_I'd like that…"-Geoff says- "And… I'd like Bridgette to forgive me, too…"_

"Son, your mom came by the next day,"-says Justin- "And I remember, like it was just yesterday, how that scene played out…"

_Bridgette looked on, shocked to see the man she once loved on his deathbed._

"_Hey…"-Geoff said, weakly._

"_Hey,"-Bridgette could not hold back her tears- "Geoff?"_

"_Yeah?"-he asks._

"_I'm… glad to see you again…"-was all she could say._

"_Did you ever manage to go to college?"-he asks her._

"_I never could… I had other, more important things to take care of,"-says Bridgette._

"_Like what? Volunteer work?"-asks Geoff._

"_No,"-she says- "Jefferson."_

"_Who's Jefferson?"-he asks- "You and DJ didn't last, huh?"_

"_No, it's nothing like that,"-she says- "Jefferson is our son."_

"_You and DJ had a kid?"-he asks, astonished._

"_No, silly,"-she says, smiling whilst tears stream down her angelic face- "You and I had a kid."_

_Geoff lays there. His face bursts into a smile, and for the first time since he was a teen, lets out a 'woo hoo'._

"_Aw man!"- says Geoff- "Bridge, that's awesome! Hey… once I get out of here, let me meet him, ok? I, uh, kinda don't want him to meet me in this condition, you know?"_

_Bridgette stayed there for the better part of an hour. She said that, once he got better, they would arrange a date for Geoff to meet his son._

"_Wow, Justin, this is so cool,"- says Geoff- "I'm a daddy!"_

"_I know!"-Justin says- "Congratulations!"_

_Justin's smile fades once Geoff's does._

"_Hey… call my lawyer. I'm gonna write down my will,"-Geoff says- "I'm gonna leave everything to him… to my son."_

"So… we called his lawyer. He arranged for a meeting on the afternoon of the next day,"-Justin says, tears starting to form in his eyes- "But… Geoff died that very morning."

Megan was starting to cry as well. Tyler put his arm around her, trying to comfort her. Jefferson kept his head down, thinking.

"My father…"-he begins to say- "Wanted to meet me?"

"Yeah…"-says Justin- "He never knew about you. He engaged in all those things… those hedonistic vices… to drown the sorrow of losing the woman he loved…"

"So… what?"-says Jefferson- "That does not change what he did."

Megan is shocked. Tyler looks at Jefferson, waiting to see what he will do.

"It does not change what he did,"-says Justin- "I agree with you. But, you can't deny that, had he had a chance, he'd try to redeem his mistake. In fact… I suspect that, had he known about you, he'd quit that lifestyle, just like that."

"I…"-Jefferson says- "I… guess…"

"Son…"-Justin looks at him- "Do you still hate your father?"

"I still hate what he did,"-says Jefferson- "That will never change."

"And your father?"-asks Megan. She looks into his eyes. Jefferson, however, can't bring himself to answer that question.

"I… need time, to think about all this,"-says Jefferson. He gets up, shakes Justin's hands, and says his goodbyes. Upon exchanging some goodbyes, Justin breathes a sigh of relief.

"Honey?"-asks Christine- "What will you do now?"

"I have an idea for my next sermon,"-he says- "The virtue of forgiveness."


	11. Chapter 11

Sins of the Mother

Episode 10: Memories of a more innocent time.

"So, who was it?"-asked Janey. Beth hung up the phone, a sad look on her face.

"Janey, that was your mom,"-says Beth- "She's coming here to pick you two up."

"Oh,"-Janey is not excited to hear that- "So… I guess this is as far as we got."

"I meant to ask, why did you leave home?"-asks Beth.

"Bethany left so she could come to the city,"-says Janey- "I followed her to make sure she was alright."

"So… why did Bethany leave?"-asks Beth.

"To come to the city,"-Janey responds- "I told you."

"So, if Bethany left home to come to the city,"-says Beth- "why is she so unhappy? After all, she made it here."

Janey was at a loss for words. She didn't know. Why WAS Bethany so unhappy?

Meanwhile…

Megan stared at her yo-yo. Jefferson was deep in thought, whilst Tyler took a small breather on a bench. They were at a bus station. The car had broken down again.

"So…"-Tyler tried to start a conversation.

"Mister Jameson?"-asks Jefferson.

"Yeah Jeff?"-Tyler replies.

"You remember much about my dad?"-he asks.

"Uh… yeah, a bit,"-Tyler replies- "I got kicked off early in the game, but I do remember Geoff…"

"What was he like?"-asks Jefferson.

"He was real different from what he was after… you know,"-says Tyler- "For example, I remember this one time…"

_Geoff, Tyler, Cody and Owen were hanging out by the pier of Camp Wawanakwa._

"_Aw dudes, this place totally rules!!!"-Geoff said, enthusiastically._

"_Yeah! I love it here!"-said Tyler- "Lots of chances to show my athletic skills!"_

"_Yeah, and the foods great, too!!!"-said Owen. The others just chuckled, pretty darn sure they disagreed with him on that count._

"_I think we can all agree,"-said Cody- "The ladies here are F-I-N-E!!!!"_

"_Hell yeah!!!!"-said the other three in unison._

"_So, guess who I think is the hottest?"-said Tyler._

"_That blonde Gopher chick?"-asked Geoff._

"_Hell yeah, the blonde!"-said Tyler, punching the air._

"_Yeah, Lindsay is a hottie,"-said Owen- "But Izzy has her beat!"_

"_No way!"-said Cody- "Gwen's totally the hottest chick on the show!"_

"_Nah, you three are joshing,"-said Geoff- "Bridgett's the hottest, hands down."_

"_You mean the surfer girl?"-said Tyler- "Yeah, she definitely got something going on! To me, she's second hottest."_

"_Second hottest to me is Lindsay."-said Owen- "I know she's got the best rack, but you just can't beat a natural red head."_

"_I know, dude,"-said Cody- "And I second that. Second hottest is Lindsay."_

"_Yeah, well, hands off,"-said Tyler, with a smile- "Cuz I got dibs."_

"_Yo Geoff, what about you?"-asked Cody- "Who's second hottest to you?"_

"_Oh, I haven't really thought of that,"-said Geoff- "Wait right here, guys. I gotta mondo pee!"_

_An hour later, Geoff comes back, a silly grin on his face._

"_That Asian Gopher girl,"-said Geoff._

"_Huh?"-asked Cody- "What about Heather?"_

"_Dudes, she's the second hottest girl on the show,"-said Geoff, that silly grin still on his face._

"_Dude, you sure?"-asked Owen- "Cuz she's mean as a snake."_

"_Dude… she's got these long legs"-said Geoff, giggling- "And she's got, like, a fine ass."_

"_Oh?"-Tyler raises an eyebrow, smiling- "And how do you know?"_

_Cody and Owen were anticipating an answer. Finally Geoff says- "There's a peep hole in the girls bathroom. Dude, I saw the whole shebang!" _

_All four boys began to holler with excitement. As high fives were exchanged, the Sun began to set on an otherwise ordinary day…_

"Your dad checked out my mom in the shower!?"-Megan was horrified.

"Man…"-said Jefferson- "I figured he'd had better taste than that."

Megan hits Jefferson's arm. Jefferson just rubs it, and says- "I didn't mean it like THAT!"

"Your dad was a pervert!"-said Megan, huffing. Jefferson just smiles to himself.

"She's cute when she's mad"-he thinks to himself.

Back at Beth's…

Bethany just stared at the ceiling. She gets up, and stares at her chest. She remembers how she felt when she first hit puberty…

_Bethany was crying her eyes out. At age 11, she felt… wrong. This morning, she began to suffer cramps in her belly. Now, she finds her underwear had bloodied._

"_Mommy, mommy!"-she screams to Lindsay- "I'm bleeding!"_

_Lindsay rushes to her daughter, followed closely by Cody. _

"_Where, honey?"-Lindsay asks frantically- "Where are you bleeding?"_

"_Down here, mommy,"-Bethany points to her vagina. She shows her mother the bloody underwear as proof of her claim. Lindsay's eyes widen, while Cody looks nervous._

"_Uh oh,"-he said- "Uh, Lindsay, remember our agreement!"_

_He bolts out the door, a deep blush on his face. Lindsay looks at him annoyed, but her gaze softens upon facing her daughter._

"_Bethany, honey,"-she begins. She takes a deep breath, and summons all her courage- "There comes a time, in every girls life, when she… uh… uhhhh… becomes… uh…"_

_Lindsay was shaking a bit. She was not yet ready for this. Bethany just kept crying._

"_I'm scared, mommy,"-she says- "And I keep getting cramps, too!"_

_Lindsay began to panic. She was not yet ready for THIS talk. And yet, here she was, forced to give it. That was when Cody came back. Though, he appeared no less nervous._

"_Uh, honey,"-Cody clears his throat- "When a girl reaches a certain age… she starts becoming a woman."_

"_That's right, honey,"-says Lindsay- "You're becoming a woman!"_

"_But… my cramps,"-said Bethany- "And the bleeding!"_

"_That's normal,"-says Lindsay- "It's called a period. And you get it once a month."_

"_What?"-Bethany's tears were drying up now._

"_See honey,"-said Cody- "the period is when your body starts getting ready to… have babies."_

_Cody gulps, and chuckles. Lindsay was looking very nervous. Bethany starts blushing._

"_So… I can start having babies now?"-she asks._

"_Not until you're married!"-both parents say in unison. _

"_So… where do babies come from?"-Bethany asks. Lindsay and Cody, especially Cody, looked horrified._

"_Can we save that conversation for when you get a little older?"-asks Cody._

Bethany lays back on the bed, thinking to herself- "I eventually learned about that in school, daddy."

Janey just stands there, while Beth sits down.

"I miss mommy and daddy,"-says Janey- "But I can't leave Bethany all alone."

"She's coming with you, too,"-says Beth.

"But… will she want that?"-asks Janey.

"I'm afraid she has no say in the matter,"-says Beth- "You two are in trouble."

"I know, but…"-Janey tries to explain herself- "Bethany…"

"I want to find out why she ran off, too,"-says Beth- "I'm sure she had a good reason. I know her, she had a far greater reason to run off than simply wanting to come see the city."

"I just wonder what it is,"-says Janey, looking sad.

Meanwhile…

Lindsay was pacing. Of all the luck in the world, the car just HAD to break down.

"Uh, honey?"-says Cody- "The repairwoman said the car will take about an hour to fix."

Lindsay breathes in deeply, and then exhales. She needs all the patience in the world right now.

Cody places his hands in his pockets, and looks away. "I wonder what motivated them to leave home,"-he thinks to himself. He sits down, and begins to think about that one time…

_School was over for the day. Cody had gone to pick up his two daughters. First, he picked up Janey from her school._

"_So, how was school today, honey?"-asked Cody._

"_It was fine,"-said Janey- "I have a science test next week."_

"_Well then,"-said Cody- "Study hard!"_

_Cody drove all the way to Bethany's school. He waited for her to come out. She should have come out over an hour ago…_

"_Janey, wait here,"-Cody says- "I'm going to see if Bethany's alright."_

_Cody gets out of the car ,and goes toward the school. He surveys the hallway, looking for his daughter._

"_Let's see now, if I remember from my last PTA meeting,"-he says to himself- "Bethany's homeroom is… this one!"_

_He opens the door. The classroom is empty. Cody is worrying now._

"_Hey, looking for your girl?"-asks Trevor, the janitor- "Saw her at Detention Hall."_

"_Thanks bro,"-says Cody. He hurries toward Detention Hall._

"_Why would she get detention?"-he asks himself- "She's a good girl."_

_As Cody reached the Detention Hall, he saw Bethany exiting the room. She runs towards him, and quickly embraces him._

"_Daddy, you came!"-she exclaims rather loudly. Cody thought that odd. He saw her teacher exit the room as well. For some reason, his paternal instincts kick in, and he hugs his daughter tightly, as if protecting her. His gaze, unbeknownst to him, is now steely._

"_Ah, Mister Banker,"-says the Teacher- "I regret to inform you that your daughter… interrupted my class today."_

_Cody looks at his daughter. She does not look ashamed, she looks worried. Cody felt she might be scared, but of what?_

"_I'll take it from here, Mister…"-Cody did not know this teacher's name._

"_My name is Arthur Banes,"-he says, getting closer- "It's a pleasure to meet you."_

_Alarms started going off in Cody's head. He felt this man should not get so close to his daughter. So, he pushes her behind him, and shakes the man's hand._

Cody feels he should have done something about those feelings he had. Should he had acted on them? He didn't know. After all, what reason did he have to think Arthur Banes had done anything wrong? The only thing Cody knew was that since that day, Bethany became more and more distant.

Back at Beth's…

"So, Bethany…"-Beth said to her goddaughter- "Your mom and dad are coming over to pick you up."

"Oh…"-Bethany looks away, out the window.

"Bethany, you don't trust me,"-said Beth.

"Yes I do!"-Bethany objected.

"Then why don't you tell me,"-Beth replies- "What's wrong? And don't tell me you wanted to come to the city, because I KNOW that's not it."

Bethany did not know what to say. She covered her chest. Beth noticed that.

"Why do you cover your chest?"-asked Beth.

"Auntie… why do…"-Bethany was nervous- "Is it ok for men… I mean for boys to stare at your chest?"

"It IS rude,"-Beth replies- "But it's something that, sometimes, just can't be avoided."

"What if a person keeps staring at your chest?"-asks Bethany.

"Then you gotta call that to their attention,"-say Beth. She was picking up on the hints Bethany, unconsciously, was giving her- "Boys are immature like that. They have to look a woman in the eyes when they are talking to her."

"What do I do if…"-Bethany stopped herself- "It's nothing."

"Bethany, you were going to ask me something, I know it,"-said Beth. She guessed what it was, though. She just wanted to hear it.

"No, don't worry Auntie,"-Bethany lies- "It's nothing."

Beth nods her head. Yup, she's seen this before. She gets up, and turns to leave. But before she heads out the door, she says- "Just for the record, Bethany, if a boy or a man EVER tries to touch your chest without your permission, slap their face and kick them in the groin!"

Bethany is shocked. Did her Aunt know? Did she figure it out? A nervousness invades her. Suddenly, she feels ashamed…

Back at the bus stop…

"Man, this bus is taking forever to get here!"-says Tyler- "At this rate, the car will get fixed before we even get on the bus!"

Megan and Jefferson did not mind having to wait. They were simply thinking about what they had learned that day. Megan looks over at Jefferson, who is deep in thought. She starts thinking back to the day she met him…

"_So, welcome to Lakewood High, Miss Winslow,"-said Principal Shaft- "Here at this school, we employ a particularly unique system to get students integrated into the High School environment. We call it, the Senior-Junior Program."_

_Megan nodded her head. At age 14, Megan finally entered High School. She was now a proud 9th__ grader. She wore her hair in a ponytail, something she does seldom._

"_Anyway, your senior is…"-the Principal looked at the name, and simply sighed- "Jefferson Willow. Oh boy… Hey, if he doesn't work out… we will figure something out, ok?"_

"_Don't worry about me, I'll be fine,"-said Megan- "I'm pretty sure we'll get along."_

"_I doubt it,"-said the Principal- "This guy seldom talks. Only reason he's a part of this program is because all seniors are obligated to do this."_

"_Then I'll just stay out of his way,"-she says- "It's not like I need someone to hold my hand all the time."_

_The principal laughs heartily. He signals for Jefferson to come in._

_Jefferson spent just a short while explaining the school campus, the classrooms, stuff like that. Really, just the basics._

"_You also have to join a club,"-Jefferson says, his glance remains as focused as ever- "We have… a fashion club, a Hello Kitty club, and a Twilight Club."_

"_Those clubs sound stupid,"-she says, in a matter of fact voice- "that all the clubs you got?"_

"_Those are the clubs that are most popular with girls,"-Jefferson replies, not even looking at her._

"_Well then, I'll join the boy clubs,"-she says- "Got any football clubs, any rugby clubs, stuff like that?"_

_For the first time, Jefferson turns his gaze towards her. Now here was a girl who's different._

"_We have a girl's Gym club,"-he says to her._

"_What do they play?"-she asks._

"_Mostly gymnastics, some football,"-he says._

"_No, see, here's the deal,"-she says- "I'm very into sports, and I want to join a club where we play lots and lots of sports. Spend some time outdoors, you know?"_

_Jefferson did something very few have ever seen him do: he smiled. He and this girl, they were going to get along…_

Megan smiles a bit. She was thankful for having Jefferson in her life. Even if he didn't feel for her, like she felt for him, she had decided, its better to be have him as a friend, than to not have him.

Back at Beth's….

Janey opened the door to the room Bethany was in. She wanted to talk to her sister.

"Bethany? I need to tell you something"-Janey says. Janey is shocked to see that the room is empty…


	12. Chapter 12

Sins of the Mother

Episode 11: Meet Ryan Smith

What had she done? Bethany sat all alone on the bench. Once again, she has run away. She ran away from her problems, from her responsibilities, from her family.

"I… can't go back home,"-she thinks to herself. She clutches her knees, and presses them against her chest- "I can't go back…"

Tears stream across her face. She dries them up, and looks around her. The city kept on living, ignoring her completely. People walked to their jobs, children played in the street. It was like no one noticed her. Three days ago this was what she wanted. But now… she was no longer so sure.

"I hope Needy doesn't get mad at me,"-she thinks to herself, as her tears start running down again. She gets up, and leaves towards who knows where.

Where will she go? What will she eat? She has no money…

"Jefferson… oh, Jeffy, where are you?"-she asks herself while looking at the sky- "I need you. I need you to save me."

Meanwhile…

Janey's eyes widened with shock. The room was empty. But less than an hour ago, her sister was here.

"Auntie!!! Auntie, she's gone!!!"-Janey cries out to Beth.

Beth rushes toward her goddaughter. Sure enough, she too starts to panic.

"Oh my God… no, no, non no!"-Beth is hyperventilating. Never before had she had to handle something similar.

"Auntie, she didn't even leave a letter!!!!"-Janey is crying now. She is on her knees, crying for her sister- "She (sob) left me. She left me behind!"

Beth goes to her goddaughter, and holds her. She is trying to calm Janey down. She needs to be strong now, there's no room for weakness here.

"I know what to do,"-says Beth- "I'll call the Police Station, and inform them that Bethany has run away."

At the Park, however, was Bethany, thinking about where she should go.

"Maybe… I could go to Jefferson! Yeah… he'll help me,"-she thinks to herself. She gets off the swing set, and looks at her watch. It was 3:45 PM. She ran away about an hour ago.

"I can't call Needy right now,"-she thinks to herself- "And mom will just yell at me. Calling daddy's out of the question as well, he'll just pass the phone to mom."

She walks away from the swing set. Unbeknownst to her, a young man had noticed her…

Bethany is just walking around Toronto, thinking back to the day she decided to run away…

_Bethany left the store where Jefferson worked. She had applied her best makeup, wore her sexiest dress (A tank top and some shorts, really) and even wore her sexiest shoes (a pair of high heels). She STILL couldn't get his attention. She looks at herself in a car's mirror. As far as she can tell, she could easily pass for 18. So, why? Why didn't he pay her any attention?_

"_Hey Needy, I can pass for an adult, right?"-asked Bethany. Janey looks at her, shocked._

"_We… Megan's run off, upset, and you're talking about whether you pass for 18!?"-Janey asks, incredulous, and more than a bit annoyed._

"_Jefferson's gone after her. He'll handle it,"-she responds- "And besides, nothing bad ever happens here. You know that."_

_Bethany fixed her hair up. She hated wearing all that make-up. But, she needed it if Jefferson was ever going to pay any attention to her._

"_Come on, we have to help Jefferson find Megan!"-Janey insists._

"_Needy…"-Bethany was going to tell her sister to mind her own business, but relented- "Okay, do you know where to look?"_

_Janey suddenly realizes that she didn't know where to look. She looks down at the ground, and kicks it. She kneels down, disappointed in herself. Bethany sighs, shakes her head, and picks up her sister._

"_Look, you search the north side of town, I'll check the south, ok?"- Bethany says this with little enthusiasm, but with every intention of making her sister feel better. Janey nods her head, and runs off._

"_Darn! I just realized,"-says Bethany to herself- "I have no idea who Megan is!"_

Shaking off that particular memory, Bethany comes to terms with the cold, hard truth.

"I was never good at thinking ahead,"-she says to herself. She kicks the ground, and looks around her. She is at an alleyway now.

"And I need to be more mindful of where I go,"-she says to herself. She starts thinking back to that day again…

_Bethany was looking for someone she didn't even know. The only thing she knew about her, literally, was her name. But, like a fool, she kept looking._

"_Oh man, should have asked Needy what she looked like,"-she says to herself. She then sees her crush- "Jefferson!!!"_

_Jefferson looks a bit downcast. But, Bethany does not pay attention to that detail._

"_Oh, Jeffy! I'm helping you look for Megan!"-she says without thinking . Jefferson looks at her like she's gone crazy._

"_Do you know her?"-he asks her._

"_Well… no, but my sister does!"-she replies._

"_Well, you can stop searching. I already found her,"-he says to her._

"_Hooray!!! My big strong man is so dependable!"-she says this as she clutches his arm. He, however, shakes her away._

"_I'm in no mood for your games, Bethany,"-he says this in a harsh voice. Bethany is shocked, tears forming in her eyes. As he leaves her standing there, she starts crying._

"_I'm sorry,"-she says- "I… I'll be leaving town tonight."_

_That night, Bethany paced in her room. Will she do this? She had to. She has decided to sneak out the window, once her parents were in bed._

"_Beth! Come on! I need you to come with me!"-Janey says as she bursts into her room._

"_Needy, what the heck!?"-Bethany says. But Janey grabs her sister and bolts out the door. Cody, who had been meaning to talk to his elder daughter, sees this, and looks perplexed._

"Hey pretty girl,"-says an old homeless man- "Can you buy me something to eat?"

"Sorry sir, I have no money,"-she replies. This homeless man is making her nervous for some reason.

"Yes you do,"-he says- "I'll ask you again. Buy me something to eat."

"Look, I told you, I have no money,"-she starts backing off. She is reasonably scared now.

"Look, girlie. I've been to prison for twelve years for killing my step dad,"-he says this as he takes out a syringe- "I can tell who has money and who doesn't. Now, this is the last time I ask you nicely. Buy me a meal."

He points his syringe at her. It is an obviously used syringe, used for God knows what. She is terrified. She digs into her pockets, hoping to find some change…

Suddenly, a bouncing ball hit's the old man in the head. It is a white ball, made of rubber. The kind you could get at a grocery store for a dollar. The old man shakes his head, and with a deadly glare, rushes towards Bethany. He then receives a punch in the face and a kick in the groin. He drops the syringe. He looks down at his syringe, and sees a foot crush it. He starts looking up, and sees the teen that foiled his attack.

"Hey you old fart,"-the teen says- "You got half a second to get out of here."

The old man knows he is beat. He turns around and runs like hell. The teen dusts off his hands, and grins.

"Hah! And then they complain about no one treating them like people!"-he says this, smirking to himself. He turn around and faces Bethany- "Ay yi yi!! PLEASE tell me you're single!"

Bethany looks at the boy who saved her. He is a reasonably handsome boy. He has smooth, black hair, a strong chin, and a dazzling pair of blue eyes. His long hair reached down to his shoulders. His athletic build served as a testament to his dedication to physical activities.

"Name's Ryan Smith"-he says, offering his hand- "Is your name as beautiful as your face?"

"My name is Bethany,"-she replies, blushing madly- "Thank you for saving me."

"Don't mention it,"-he replies- "That's just how awesome I am."

She gives him a blank stare. As handsome as he is, this guy is a bit full of himself.

"Hey, uh, seeing as how I saved your life and all"-Oh no, here it comes- "How about a little reward?"

She gives him a look. He's about to cross the line. But what could she do? He DID save her, after all. Maybe he wanted a kiss…

"Let me take you out to dinner sometime,"-he says this with a smile.

"Huh, thought he was gonna ask me something else,"-she thinks to herself.

"Oh! Before I forget,"-his smile disappears, and he now looks serious- "I need you to come with me. We have to report that old fart."

"Where are we going?"-she asks. He grabs her by the arm.

"Cop station. Come on!"-he rushes toward the Police Station, taking her with him.

Meanwhile…

"Know what?"-says Tyler- "I'm a bit worried about Janey and Bethany. I think I'll call them."

"You know the number from where they are staying?"-asks Megan.

"Sure do. I have it right here in my pocket,"-he grabs the paper from where he wrote Beth's phone number. He dials the number on the payphone.

"Hey Meg,"-Jefferson says.

"Yeah Jeff?"-she replies.

"Umm, so, uh,"-he can't seem to form the sentence he wants- "By this time tomorrow we might finally reach that Camp."

"Yeah,"-she responds- "Actually, I don't think Mister Jameson counted on those little side trips we took. It might take longer."

"Yeah,"-he says- "Sorry about that."

"About what?"-she asks.

"If I hadn't gone to see Justin, we'd be on schedule,"-he says.

"But then, you wouldn't have learned more about your father,"-she says to him. She looks him in the eye. He looks at her. Her brown eyes are just so beautiful to him.

"Guys!"-Tyler sounds panicked- "Beth just told me that Bethany ran away!"

Both Jefferson and Megan look shocked.

"We have to help find her!"-says Megan without thinking it twice. Jefferson agrees.

Meanwhile…

"Yo, copper!"-Ryan calls out to the Chief of Police.

"Ryan, I told you before, call me Officer!"-says the Chief, annoyed.

"Ha ha, sorry Duncan"-Ryan says, whilst smiling. Duncan just shakes his head, and sighs.

Duncan has changed quite a bit in the last few years. His hairline has receded, and his face has become much more rugged. He no longer wears his piercings, or his green Mohawk. However, he STILL looks like the kind of guy that could kick your ass. However, the biggest change to Duncan is the fact that he is no longer a criminal.

"Anyway,"-Ryan grows serious- "She's been attacked by a bum."

"Describe him,"-Duncan orders Bethany.

"He was old, gray hair, gray beard,"-she describes- "A very ugly hat, and a smelly long coat. Oh! And he claimed to have killed his step dad."

"Did he say he served 12 years?"-Duncan asks. She nods. Duncan says- "That was Ol' Smiley. More of a heroine addict than a killer. His claim is nothing but bunk."

"He threatened her with a dirty syringe,"-Ryan informs.

"And now he has crossed the line,"-Duncan says, an angry look on his face- "I'm issuing an arrest warrant for the guy!"

Bethany breathes a sigh of relief. Duncan looks at Ryan, and asks- "And how did you manage to intervene?"

"Uh, well, you know,"-Ryan says, a sheepish smile on his face- "I was in the neighborhood and all."

"Uh huh,"-Duncan is skeptical- "A more accurate description would be that you followed her."

Bethany turns her gaze at Ryan, and gives him a look. Ryan laughs nervously. He's been found out.

"It's not what you think,"-he says to her- "I simply, uh, found you so ravishing, I just HAD to talk to you! I swear, I have never done something similar in my life!"

"Except the other eighteen times you've done that this month,"-Duncan tells him- "And you've told each and every one of those girls those exact same words."

Duncan starts to laugh as Bethany gives Ryan the cold shoulder. He plops his head in defeat.

"Oh, when will this young, handsome, athletic young bard find the woman of his dreams?"-he says to himself, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"How can you eat?"-she asks him- "Because you're so full of yourself."

"Ouch, baby"-he says playfully- "Come on, Bethany, I saved your life, remember? I'm not so bad."

"Bethany?"-Duncan says, surprised- "Bethany Banker?"

"Y-yeah, that's me,"-Bethany is nervous now.

"We got a call recently,"-Duncan says- "Seems you ran away from home."

Bethany drops her head in shame. She's been found out.

"Hey, come on, baby,"-Ryan puts his arm around her- "If it will make you feel any better, I'll tell them all about how you got attacked by the big, mean serial rapist with a chainsaw and a hook!"

"But I was only attacked by an old guy with a needle!"-she protests.

"Same diff,"-he replies with a smile. She smiles back at him. Duncan saw all this, and chuckled to himself.

"Hey Ryan, didn't Trent ground you this week?"-he asks.

"No!"-Ryan protests, embarrassed- "… That was last week."

"What did you do?"-Bethany asks him.

"I killed a man with my ball,"-he says this while showing off his rubber ball.

"He tried taking out his dad's car out for a spin,"-Duncan says- "He got caught with the keys in his pocket."

Duncan and Bethany share a laugh at Ryan's expense. Ryan just buries his face in his hands.

"I should head back to my Aunt's place,"-says Bethany.

"Hey, how about I escort you?"-Ryan offers- "Matter of fact, I insist. You need your big, strong hero by your side!"

"You're insufferable, you know that?"-Bethany tells him. Duncan laughs at this. He is reminded of his own youth…

That was when the door burst open. In walk Tyler, Jefferson and Megan.

"Officer, I'd like to report a missing child, and I'd also like to help out in the search,"-says Tyler while panting.

"Mister Jameson,"-Megan says. Tyler pays her no mind.

"Alright, describe the person,"-Duncan says to him.

"Mister Jameson"-Jefferson's words are also ignored.

"She's aged 14, brown hair, blue eyes,"-Tyler continues- "Goes by the name of-"

"Hello… Mister Jameson,"-Bethany says to him. Her voice reflects the shame she feels.

"Bethany, please don't interrupt… Bethany!"-Tyler is too shocked for more words. Duncan closes his notebook.

"Guess you found her,"-he says.

"You're fourteen?"-Ryan says to Bethany- "Thought you were a little older."


	13. Chapter 13

**Sins of the Mother**

**Episode 12: The people who love them.**

"I see, thank you Duncan,"-says Beth. She hangs up the phone, and turns to Janey- "Janey, good news! Bethany's safe and sound!"

Janey nods her head, but she remains silent. She is far too upset to speak.

"Honey, is something wrong?"-asks Beth.

"She… left me here, all alone,"-Janey says. Her eyes were becoming red and poofy.

"Janey…"-Beth tries to comfort her goddaughter. It doesn't work.

"I'll… go to the bedroom,"-Janey says. Beth nods her head. Janey heads to the bedroom, and closes the door.

"I would have sucked as a mother,"-Beth says to herself. Her sadness is evident- "Guess it's a good thing I'm so unattractive."

Beth opens the fridge, and looks inside. She picks up a can of iced green tea. She sits down on the table, and opens her can. She drinks her tea.

"In the end,"-she says to herself- "I am simply not Lindsay."

She debates what to do once Bethany comes back to her apartment. Scold her? That didn't seem right. Not to her, at least.

"I should scold her, she made me worry,"-Beth thinks to herself- "But… I'm more sad than angry right now."

Meanwhile…

Lindsay and Cody were driving along the road. Actually, Cody was driving. Lindsay had fallen asleep by now. She was far too exhausted. Cody takes but a second to look at his wife. Cody sighs, thinking about the day his daughters ran off…

_Cody had gone back home from work. It was now 5:13 PM. He enters his home, expecting his wife to have prepared a meal for him._

"_Ladies, I'm home!"-he exclaims- "Daddy's home!"_

_Janey goes to her dad. She is visibly sad._

"_Honey, what happened?"-asks Cody, concerned._

"_Daddy… I think I did something bad,"-says Janey._

"_What happened, honey?"-asks Cody, holding his younger daughter. Janey told him all about Megan, and what happened at the store. Cody is shocked._

"_So… she knows, huh?"-says Cody, taking off his tie- "It must be hard for her, I mean… I can't even imagine."_

_Cody had never known Megan. But he was aware that Heather had a daughter. His wife told him so. Speaking of Lindsay…_

"_Hi honey,"-Cody says, kissing his wife._

"_Oh, Cody, did Janey tell you about…"-Cody nodded his head before Lindsay could answer. As she stirs the pasta, Cody sits down on the table._

"_Only one who's missing is Bethany,"-he says. Lindsay stops for a moment, but continues her work._

"_She's in her room,"-Lindsay says, not even turning her gaze at her husband._

"_Uh oh,"- says Cody- "You two fight again?"_

"_No, of course not,"-says Lindsay- "She just locked herself in her room. Passed me by without even a hello!"_

_Cody sighs, and heads towards his daughter's room. He knocks on the door, and then opens it._

"_Hi honey,"-he says to her. He sees her wiping her eyes with her arm. She looks at him. He can tell she's been crying._

"_You ok?"-he asks her. She nods her head- "You sure?"_

"_Yeah, daddy, I'm ok,"-she says to him. He places his arm around her._

"_Listen,"-he says to her- "Mommy told me you didn't tell her hello."_

_She turns silent, and looks away. Cody sighs, and gets up._

"_Bethany, it's important to communicate with your family,"-he says to her- "Please greet your mother more regularly, ok?"_

_Cody closes the door to her room. He shakes his head._

"_I could have handled that better,"-he thinks to himself._

_Had he known his daughters would run away that very evening, he would have tried harder at being a better father…_

As Cody drives, he thinks to himself- "I suck as a dad."

Janey was in her bedroom. She thinks back to the day she ran away with her sister.

"Maybe… I should have let her go off on her own,"-she says to herself. She starts to cry.

Meanwhile…

Megan and Jefferson looked on as Tyler appeared to be in thought. Bethany looked down on the ground, sadness reflected in her face. Ryan places his hands in his pockets. He then starts staring at Bethany's behind, something Jefferson quickly caught on to, and didn't approve.

"Bethany,"-Tyler starts- "What you did was wrong."

"I know,"-she replies- "I'm sorry."

"You had us all worried,"-he continues.

"I know,"-she's crying now- "I'm going back to Auntie's house. I promise."

"Listen, Bethany,"-Tyler continues- "Did you run away because your mom and dad are coming over tomorrow to pick you up?"

"What?"-Bethany is shocked to hear that. Now she is scared.

"So,"-Ryan starts- "You're not her dad?"

"Uh, no,"-Tyler replies- "What made you think that?"

"Just a question, geezer,"-Ryan says this with a smirk.

"Did you just call me a geezer?"-Tyler is a bit ticked now.

"No, I called you a beautiful woman,"-Ryan says, still smirking.

"You know who you remind me of?"-Tyler says, annoyed- "This punk I knew called Duncan. The two of you would have gotten along just fine."

"Hah, I used to be a punk called Duncan,"-says Duncan- "And you remind me of this loser jock I met back at camp."

"Duncan?"-Tyler says, shocked.

"Hey, Tyler,"-says Duncan- "I recognized you voice, but I'm offended you forgot me."

"You just look so different!"-Tyler says, shaking his hand- "I mean, last time I saw you, you had piercings and a Mohawk!"

"And the last time I saw you,"-Duncan says- "You sucked at sports!"

Tyler places his hand behind his head. He feels embarrassed. However, only Ryan is laughing at him.

"Hey you jerk!"-Bethany says to Ryan- "Quit laughing at Mister Jameson!"

Ryan stops laughing, and says- "Sorry, sorry."

"Hey, dumb jock,"-Duncan says to Tyler- "Take the girl home. You're the runaway expert, after all."

As Tyler grabs Bethany's shoulder, he thinks back to the day he decided to run away…

_Eighteen year old Tyler looked at himself in the mirror. Though he had the body of an athlete, he lacked any talent for athletics. He had always known he stunk at sports, but today was the final humiliation. He had run the marathon. He was in 8th__ place, which considering the fact that there were one hundred participants, was actually quite impressive. He ran, and ran, and ran. He was thirty five feet away from the finish line. That was when he tripped on his own shoelace, and fell down on the ground. As he reeled in pain, over 45 runners passed him by. Trying to get up, and at least face the dignity of finishing the race, eighteen runners passed him by. Limping towards the finish, another 13 runners passed by him. He finished the race about 87__th__ place. 87 of 100. He went from 8__th__ to 87__th__. No one applauded his finish. But many, many people laughed at him. Some even threw cans at the poor guy._

_Tyler looks at his knee. It was still scratched, but he could at least walk. He looks at his trophy case. All his trophies were pity trophies. 5__th__ place in a sack race. An A for effort in Gym class. A green ribbon that said he finished 9__th__ in the local yo-yo competition (the person to take Last place was a girl whose Yo-Yo didn't have a string.) A participation trophy for rugby. Tyler looked at his 'achievements'. Nothing but utter shame fills him._

"_Dad?"-Tyler says to his father- "I… don't want to play sports anymore."_

"_Why not?"-his father looks at him, rather irritated._

"_I suck,"-Tyler replies- "It's not worth it."_

"_So, that's my boy, huh?"-his father turns his gaze away from his son- "A loser with no determination."_

_All his life, Tyler wanted to make his father proud. So, he took up sports to do just that. Now that he knew his father thought so low of him, Tyler did the only thing he could think of: he ran away._

"Bethany,"-Tyler says- "Take it from me when I say that running away never solves your problems."

"Huh?"-Bethany looks up at Tyler. The five of them are walking down to Beth's house.

"You can run from your problems, but you can never get away from them,"-he continues- "Either they stay where they are, waiting for you, or they come looking for you."

"So, what should I do?"-she asks.

"The only thing you can do,"-he replies- "Stand up, be an adult, and face your problems head on."

"How do you know all this?"-she asks him.

"Because…"-he says, stopping- "I've been where you are standing."

Bethany, Megan and Jefferson think about what he said. Ryan himself rubs his chin, thinking of something to say.

"Hey wait a minute,"-Jefferson says. He turns to Ryan, and says- "Why are you following us?"

"Bethany needs her big strong hero by her side,"-Ryan replies, flexing his muscles. He turns to Megan, and says- "I'd be your hero too, if you'd let me."

Jefferson frowns upon seeing this. Sensing his change in mood, Megan comes up with a reply- "Maybe, if I ever need a man who has time for me."

Jefferson's jaw hits the floor. Megan laughs a bit at Jefferson's expense. Bethany just fumes.

"Stuck up jerk!"-she says this while huffing.

"So, angel face,"-Ryan says to Megan- "Does this vision of loveliness come with a name suitable for her?"

Megan places her finger on his chest, and starts to rub his chest. Ryan smiles at her, and winks. Jefferson tries his best to contain his fury.

"Alright, that's enough!" -Jefferson says. He didn't intend to sound so angry. Megan looks worried, but then her grin returns.

"Gee, Jeff, you don't have to get so mad,"-she says- "I'm just playing, after all."

Jefferson's face becomes red. He turns away. Ryan, Tyler and Megan laugh.

"Name's Megan, by the way,"-she says this with a wink, and sways her hair, allowing Ryan to catch a whiff. He swoons. Unbeknownst to him, Megan had a mischievous grin on her face, It was the first time in her life she's acted deliberately sexy. And she LOVED it.

Ryan scoots over to Jefferson, and asks- "Dude, think I got a shot?"

"No!!!!"-Jefferson protests- "She's WAY out of your league!!!!"

Ryan looks at Jefferson, grins, and says- "Dude, I SO got a shot!"

"Hey, Megan,"-Bethany whispers to Megan- "Why are you flirting with that creep?"

"Because,"-Megan replies- "It's fun to see Jefferson act that way."

They eventually reach Beth's house. Bethany was now shaking.

"Bethany, are you scared?"-Jefferson asks.

"Yes,"-she replies. She grabs his arm. Jefferson would have protested under different circumstances. Ryan places his hand on her shoulder.

"Baby, you got your hero with you,"-he says to her.

"Yes I do,"-she says- "Right, Jeffy?"

Megan and Tyler smirk as Ryan hangs his head in humiliation. The door opens. Bethany closes her eyes. She expects a slap across the face…

Instead, she gets a hug. Bethany opens her eyes, expecting Janey. She sees Beth instead.

"Auntie?"-she asks, bewildered- "Why are you hugging me? Why don't you yell at me?"

"Silly girl,"-Beth says, in tears- "I'm just too glad to do that right now."

"I'm sorry, Auntie,"-says Bethany- "I didn't want to run away, I just panicked."

Bethany is crying. As she hugs her dear godmother, she allows all her fears and insecurities to disappear. If for nothing but a moment, Bethany is like a child again.

"She got attacked by a chainsaw wielding rapist with a hook for a hand,"-Ryan says, flexing his muscles- "But… I saved her."

Beth and Tyler look at him, suspecting he's telling a tall tale.

"I WAS attacked, but the guy only had a needle,"-says Bethany- "the part about him saving me is true, though."

Beth, Tyler, Jefferson and Megan are in awe.

"Well now,"-Megan says- "You've just earned about a billion coolness points, far as I'm concerned."

"Awesome!"-Ryan says- "How many do I have now?"

"A billion and a half,"-Megan replies, giving him an 'I want you' look. Bethany made sure to pay attention to the small details written on Megan's face, in case she ever wanted to use that look. Jefferson's blood is now boiling.

"How old are you?"-Jefferson asks Ryan.

"I'm 15, why?"-he replies.

"Forget it kid,"-Jefferson says- "She's much older than you."

"Hey, I ain't got no problem dating an older woman,"-Ryan replies- "Matter of fact, that sort of thing is kinda hot!"

"Jeff, are you implying I'm old?"-Megan says, feigning offense.

"N-n-no!"-Jefferson says, waving his arms. Megan smirks, enjoying how angry and defensive he's getting.

"Auntie, are mommy and daddy really coming over tomorrow to pick us up?"-asks Bethany. Beth nods her head, Bethany winces. She's in trouble, and she knows it.

"Hey, young man,"-Beth says to Ryan- "Since you saved my goddaughter, you are welcome here any time."

Ryan pumps his fist into the air. He is happy. Megan smiles, and pats him on the back.

"Tyler, why don't you and your three friends stay here the night?"-asks Beth.

"That would be good for my wallet,"-Tyler says, chuckling.

"Auntie, where's Janey?"-Bethany asks. Beth points towards the room Janey was staying in. Bethany heads over there. She opens the door. Janey was there, lying on the bed. She gets up upon seeing her sister. Bethany sits beside Janey.

"Janey, I'm sorry,"-Bethany says to her sister- "I'm sorry for making you worry. And for dragging you away from mommy and daddy."

"I followed you of my own free will,"-Janey says, resting her head on her sister's shoulder- "You didn't drag me away."

"Tomorrow we'll go back home,"-says Bethany- "I… don't want to go back home."

"Why not?"-Janey asks.

"I can't keep running away any more. Mister Jameson told me that,"-Bethany takes a deep breath- "I'll have to share this story tomorrow anyway. But… I'll let you know first. My teacher, mister Bane…"

Later that night, when everyone else was asleep, Janey was wide awake. She sits alone on the toilet. She grits her teeth, as her face shows the rage she felt inside. The tale her sister told her echoed in her head. And the more she thought about it, the angrier she got…


	14. Chapter 14

Sins of the Mother

Episode 13: A good day

Evening went, then morning came. Tyler, who was sleeping on the couch, gets up and stretches while he yawns. He sees Megan sleeping on the other couch, while Jefferson lays asleep on the reclining sofa. He goes to the kitchen, and gets himself something to eat. He looks at the time. It is 7:12 AM.

"Huh, I usually stay asleep for far longer on my downtime,"-he says to himself. That was when Beth headed to the kitchen.

"Pop tarts!? No, no, no,"-Beth says, taking Tyler's pop tart away- "My guests deserve something decent for breakfast, at least! Come on, you like oatmeal, yes?"

"Oatmeal? Sure do!"-Tyler says with enthusiasm- "Haven't had any in a while."

Megan wakes up. She sees Jefferson is still asleep. She heads towards the bathroom, where she proceeds to take care of her morning business.

An hour later, everyone but Jefferson was wide awake, and eating their oatmeal.

"Gee, is Jefferson usually like this?"-asks Janey- "I mean, yesterday and the day before, he was up before the rest of us."

"I don't know,"-says Megan- "I better check up on him."

She goes towards Jefferson, and feels his forehead. It's nice and cool. She sighs, relieved. That was when the door burst open.

"Hey guys!"-says Ryan.

"Oh, hey Ryan,"-Megan greets in return. Everyone but Bethany greets Ryan. Bethany just glares at him.

"How rude!"-she says- "Coming in here without even knocking!"

"Sorry,"-Ryan says. He steps out to the door, knocks, and then enters- "There, I knocked."

Everyone but Bethany chuckles. Ryan declines breakfast, saying he already ate.

"Uh, Mister Jameson,"-says Megan- "Uh… about going to Gwen's…"

"Yeah, that's today,"-says Tyler- "Only… I kinda don't know where she lives."

"Gwen? Which Gwen?"-asks Ryan.

"A woman named Gwen Masters,"-says Tyler- "Or at least, that was her name last I saw her."

"She married to a guy named Duncan Masters?"-asks Ryan. Tyler nods- "Dude! That's my Aunt Gwen! She's my godmother! I totally know where she lives!"

"Awesome!"-says Tyler- "So, can you tell us where?"

"I can do you one better,"-says Ryan- "I'll take you there!"

"Well, alright!"-says Tyler. He gets up after finishing his oatmeal, and says- "Should we wait for Jefferson to wake up?"

"Nah, Aunt Gwen lives close by,"-says Ryan- "You guys will be there in less than forty five minutes, and that's going on foot."

"Well now, that sounds good to me,"-says Megan- "You guys know I love the exercise."

"We can go right now!"-says Ryan- "By the time we come back, Sleeping Beauty ought be awake."

Megan laughs at Ryan's little jab at Jefferson. Not because it was mean spirited, but because she found it so hilarious for Jefferson to still be asleep after all the noise they were making.

"Uh, Tyler,"-Beth says- "Yesterday, Lindsay told me she'd like to have a word with you."

Tyler gulps. He knows he's in trouble.

"Hey, uh…"-says Ryan- "Well, seeing as how it's so close…"

"Hey Meg, you go on ahead,"-says Tyler- "I'll stay here and wait for Lindsay and Cody to come by."

Megan nods her head. She goes over to Jefferson, ruffles his hair a bit, and says- "Don't worry Sleeping Beauty, someday your prince will come."

"Aw man,"-says Ryan- "I was so totally gonna say that!"

"Anyway, bye everyone!"-Megan says, as she leaves.

"Mister Jameson?"-Janey says- "You're in trouble."

Tyler nods in agreement. Bethany and Beth chuckle at his predicament.

Meanwhile…

"So, why do you want to see my Aunt?"-asks Ryan.

"I…"-Megan looks to the ground- "I want to ask her about my dad."

"Oh?"-Ryan says. He then picks up on the hint- "Oh… you don't know your dad?"

"Nope,"-Megan replies.

"Why don't you ask your mom?"-asks Ryan.

"She died, a long time ago,"-she replies.

"Oh,"-Ryan replies, looking downward- "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be,"-she replies.

"Can't help it,"-he says- "These kind of tales get to ya, ya know?"

"Yeah,"-Megan says, looking away- "Where do you live?"

"I live over there,"-Ryan says, pointing to a house.

"How nice, quite close to Miss Beth's,"-Megan says.

"Yeah, she's got a pair of fine goddaughters,"-says Ryan- "Janey's quite a looker, and Bethany? She's SO FINE!"

"Really?"-Megan replies- "Because she gives off the impression that she hates you."

"Nah, she could never hate her big, strong hero,"-Ryan says- "I can tell when a girl hates me. She doesn't."

"How can you tell?"-asks Megan.

"She actually acknowledges me,"-Ryan says- "If she hated me, she'd ignore me… like all the other girls do."

"Why do they ignore you?"-Megan asks.

"…Because,"-Ryan finds it difficult to talk about that- "They don't like guys that don't buy them super expensive gifts."

"Oh,"-she replies.

"My mom and Trent, they make a good load of money,"-says Ryan- "But Trent wants me to learn the value of a dollar, so he sends me to get summer jobs."

"Trent is…?"-asks Megan.

"My dad,"-Ryan says.

"And why do you call him Trent and not dad?"-asks Megan. She dislikes people that disrespect their parents.

"Well, because I like doing that,"-says Ryan- "I feel more comfortable calling him Trent than dad."

Megan gives him a weird look. Ryan goes on- "People think I hate him. But I really don't, you know? He's a swell dad."

Megan smiles at him. Ryan smiles back, and blushes.

"You're a nice guy,"-says Megan- "If you dated more humble girls, you'd have tons of girlfriends."

Ryan sees this as an offer, and says- "Well now… what I said yesterday? That was true. I find dating older women to be hot."

Megan looks at him, blushes, and says- "I'm not that much older than you. I'm just sixteen."

"That still counts,"-Ryan says, giving her a flirtatious look. Megan sees this, and sighs.

"Ryan? I owe you an apology,"-Megan says, turning away- "I only flirted with you… so I could make Jefferson angry."

"Oh,"-Ryan is a bit disappointed- "He your boyfriend?"

"No,"-Megan says, rather saddened- "I don't know if he even likes me back as much as I do him."

"How much do you like him?"-asks Ryan. The disappointment has not yet left him.

"I love him,"-she replies- "I've loved him for a long, long time."

"Wow,"-Ryan is astonished.- "How do you know you love him?"

"Because, every time I think of him, I smile to myself,"-she says- "Whenever I feel sad, he stands by me. When I laugh, he laughs with me. When I cry, he holds me. Whenever I feel down, like I can't go on, all I need to do is think of him, and I find the strength to carry on. Sometimes, just talking to him is the only deciding factor between a crappy day, and a happy one."

"Wow,"-is all Ryan could say- "Does he know that?"

"All I ever told him was that I liked him,"-she says- "He told me he didn't have the time for a relationship."

"The IDIOT!!!!"-Ryan roars- "A hot girl like you, with feelings like THAT… any guy ought to consider himself lucky to have half of that!"

"Huh?"-Megan looks at him, confused.

"Megan, you're not only super amazing hot,"-says Ryan- "But, what you just said… man oh man, if any guy heard a girl say that about him, he'd be in cloud nine!"

"You're sweet,"-says Megan, smiling at him- "Show your sweet side to Bethany more often. She'll fall for you, guaranteed."

"Think I really have a shot?"-Ryan asks, his eyes reflecting a youthful curiosity.

"Sure you do,"-she replies- "I mean, you're her hero!"

"Yeah, I asked her out on a date as my reward,"-he says- "I think she declined."

"Well now,"-Megan says- "Most guys would have asked her for a kiss or something."

Ryan blushes at the thought.

"Don't tell me…"-Megan's face glows with surprise- "Oh my gosh, you've never kissed a girl!?"

"Hey now!"-Ryan hushes her- "Not so loud… no…"

Ryan hangs his head in shame- "Yeah, all the guys make fun of me for it."

"That's stupid,"-Megan says- "We don't all go around kissing just for the heck of it!"

"Yeah!"-Ryan says- "I mean… I'm just waiting for a girl that won't give me the cold shoulder!"

"Yeah,"-Megan starts thinking, and begins to blush- "Hey, is the teasing really bad?"

"Huh?"-Ryan asks- "Yeah, sometimes."

"You saved Bethany yesterday,"-Megan says- "You deserve a reward."

She grabs his face, and presses her lips against his. The two kiss for about five seconds. After that, she slowly backs away, blushing madly. A small trail of saliva glistens in the morning sun between their lips, and quickly vanishes with the breeze. His face is as red as a tomato. He then smiles like a goof.

"Thank you,"-he says, smiling goofily while placing his hands on his pocket.

"I know,"-Megan says, blushing madly- "It was my first kiss too."

"You… kiss pretty,"-Ryan had become tongue tied. He giddily laughs. Megan giggles as well.

"I was… saving my first kiss for Jefferson,"-Megan says. Ryan's face falls, as his blush disappears. He starts to look away. Megan grabs his hand, and says to him- "But I don't mind giving it to someone as sweet as you."

Ryan's blush comes back with a vengeance. He then says- "Hey… would you consider me your second choice?"

Megan thinks for a bit, and says- "If you and Bethany don't work out,"-Megan's face falls- "And if Jefferson… sure, I could see the two of us having something special."

Ryan pumps his fist to the air. His smile is so wide, it probably stretches from sea to sea. To him, today is a good day. Ryan looks at Megan, and thinks to himself- "Jefferson, you lucky sod."

Back at Beth's…

A knock on the door. Beth goes to open it. Lindsay and Cody are at the door. Bethany, who was in the living room at the time, gulps. Tyler places his hand on her shoulder in reassurance…


	15. Chapter 15

Sins of the Mother

Episode 14: Daddy's little girl

"Oh, hey Lindsay,"-Tyler extends his hand to his old friend and one time girlfriend. She takes his hand, and gives him a judo flip. Tyler flies across the hallway of the apartment complex, and crashes unto the trash can nearby. Cody sweat drops, knowing fully well his wife had intended to do that. Bethany looks at her teacher lying on the floor. She gulps. As her mother approaches her, she closes her eyes. She prepares herself for the slap she knew was coming…

Cody and Beth were both sweating bullets. Each one expected Lindsay to go ballistic on the daughter that had been doing nothing but fight with her mother for the last few weeks. Beth covers her eyes. Cody, summoning every bit of nerve he had in his slim body, walked up to his wife, ready to intercept any physical hits she may dish out. He's been thinking this whole time, and he believes now is the time to confront his daughter on a certain subject that's been bothering him for a while.

Janey gulped, and hid in her room. She closed her eyes and ears. She did not want to hear any fighting. She was nervous as can be…

Tyler was still on the ground, writhing in pain.

A half hour ago, Jefferson had woken up. Upon being told that Megan had left for Gwen's house, he decided to simply step out for a walk. There was, after all, no way he could ever catch up to her, seeing as how he didn't know who Gwen was. The fact that she had gone off with Ryan was withheld from him.

Bethany was expecting the slap. Nothing. She could imagine the anger in her mother's eyes. She did NOT want to open her eyes, lest she see something truly frightening. However, she knew… this is something she needed to face. She begins to open her eyes, when…

Lindsay did not slap her daughter. She never intended to do so. Instead, she merely hugged Bethany, tighter than she ever had before. Bethany is stunned.

"Mommy?"-she says- "I'm… sorry."

"Baby, why did you run away?"-Lindsay is sobbing now- "You're SO grounded! You're so… here!"

"Mommy… I'm sorry,"-Bethany was also in tears. Janey had stepped outside, saw her mother hugging her sister, and ran towards her. Janey gave Lindsay a great, big hug. Beth opened her eyes, and smiled at this reunion. Cody let out a sigh of relief. Tyler was still writhing in pain.

Jefferson was enjoying the morning sun. He looks up at the sky. The sky is a perfect baby blue. He breathes in the morning air.

"I wonder how Meg's doing,"-he asks himself. He looks at is watch. 10:00 AM. He says- "I must have been more tired than I thought. Shouldn't have stayed up that night."

How are Ryan and Megan doing?

Ryan and Megan were just walking along the sidewalk. Ryan has a bit of a blush, as does Megan.

"Man oh man, if only my friends could see me now,"-Ryan thinks to himself- "Man, I kissed a super hottie! I am SO telling Rick and Kevin!"

"I wonder how grandma and grandpa are doing,"-Megan thinks to herself- "I should call them!"

Megan sees a phone, and says to Ryan- "Mind if I make a quick call?" Ryan motions that he does not mind. Megan picks up the phone, and calls her grandparents.

Back at Beth's…

"Lindsay…"-Cody interrupts the mother-daughters moment- "Mind if I have a talk alone with Bethany?"

Lindsay looks up at her husband, and sees his serious face.

"Cody…we can save the scolding for when we get home,"-she says, looking away.

"It's… imperative that I speak to Bethany now. And I really do mean, at this moment,"-Lindsay was shocked at how assertive Cody was being. Never before had he been like this. What was going on?

Cody walks up to his daughter. Bethany looks at him questioningly.

"Bethany, I'd like to talk to you,"-Cody says, placing his arm around her- "Alone."

Lindsay and Beth watch with curiosity as Cody escorts his daughter towards the bedroom. Cody closes the door. Though Lindsay was quite curious over what was being said, Beth kept her from listening in on the conversation. That was when Tyler finally re-entered the apartment.

"Ow,"-he says, as he rubs his jaw. Lindsay then saw fit to kick him in the stomach.

"Kidnapper!!!"-Lindsay says, as she grabs Tyler in a headlock- "Taking two little girls on a three day trip without their parents permission!!!"

Janey just chuckled nervously. When she puts it like that, maybe Tyler IS a kidnapper…

Cody sat Bethany down beside him. He cups his face in his hands. This will not be easy.

"Daddy… I'm sorry, I really am,"-Bethany says. She's crying. Cody looks at her.

"Honey, why did you run away?"-Cody asks her. Bethany can't bring herself to admit why.

"Bethany… who is Mister Banes?"-Cody asks. Bethany's eyes widen.

"He's my English teacher,"-Bethany says hurriedly.

"No, who is he?"-Cody insists.

"Daddy…"-Bethany is a bit scared now.

"Why is it that you get nervous talking about him?"-Cody asks. He holds Bethany's arm, to keep her from going anywhere. Her eyes are too wide from shock. Once more, all she can think of is running away.

"Honey… I'm sorry,"-Cody says, looking down- "I must be a failure of a father, if my daughter can't bring herself to tell me what scares her."

"That's not true, daddy!"-Bethany protests- "I love you, you know that!"

"Well then, tell me why you ran away,"-Cody says, in all seriousness.

"…I was,"-Bethany is trembling- "I was scared…"

"Scared of what?"-Cody holds his daughter's hand- "Scared of WHO?"

Bethany covers her chest with her spare arm. Cody notices this. He wonders why she did that.

"Are you having a bully problem?"-Cody asks his daughter. She begins to cry. Cody hugs her, making shushing noises. He then says- "It's ok, it's ok. Daddy's here, it's ok."

An hour passes. Though Lindsay is deathly curious over what was being said, she remained outside. She paced back and forth. Beth looks at her watch, and allows herself to wonder how Megan, Ryan and Jefferson were faring. Janey applied some iodine on Tyler's bruises. Tyler himself winced in pain.

"Daddy…"-Bethany began- "Mister Bane… he…"

Cody hung on to her every word. Bethany continued- "He started off all nice…"

_It was the start of a new school year. Arthur Banes looked over at his new class of 9__th__ graders._

"_Good afternoon, class. My name is Arthur Banes. It is a pleasure to meet you all,"-he says to his 1:30 PM class._

_Arthur Banes is a tall man. He has a black beard, black hair, and wears glasses. He is aged 39. His eyes sometimes reflect kindness. Sometimes, though…_

_Arthur Bane had finished up his class. He looks over his students, and notices one that gets his attention. She had brown hair, perky breasts, and long legs. She had a cute face, beautiful eyes, and a perfect body. Her name is Bethany Banker, and she is only fourteen… _

Lindsay kept shooting glares at Tyler. And every time Tyler saw that, he wished the Earth swallowed him. The idea that THIS is the same person that he made out with non stop back at the Island never once crossed his mind.

Over at the park…

Jefferson looked at his watch. It's almost lunch time.

"Huh,"-he says to himself- "I hope Meg's alright."

Back at Beth's…

Janey looks at Tyler's watch.

"Shouldn't Meg have come back by now?"-she asks him.

"Oh? Not only do you kidnap kids, Tyler, you also loose them!"-screams out Lindsay. Tyler can't help but wince.

"Jesus, I wish this was just a bad dream…"-Tyler thinks to himself.

Cody overhears his wife yell, but pays little attention to that detail. He instead focuses all his attention on his sobbing daughter, who, through tears, recounts the things Arthur Banes did to her…

_It was a beautiful sunny afternoon. Sadly, it was also a school day. As birds sang, teens learned, or at least that is what they should be doing. Bethany herself was half paying attention to Arthur Banes' lecture._

"_Miss Banker, would you care to share an opinion?"-asked Arthur Banes. Bethany was taken by surprise. She did not know what they were talking about. As the classroom snickers at her, Bethany shrinks back into her seat._

"_Please see me after class,"-says Mister Banes. Bethany just covers her face with her book. Most of the girls the class were glad to see her get in trouble._

"_You wanted to see me?"-asks Bethany once everyone else left._

"_Yes…"-Arthur Banes said. Though he SHOULD have scolded her for not paying attention, he could not help but allow his stare to linger- "Bethany… wow… uh… let's pay more attention in class, ok?"_

_Unbeknownst to Bethany, Arthur Banes fell madly in lust with her that day. When she passed him by in the hallway, Arthur would take a second to catch a glimpse of her cleavage, if it showed. He would also look back, and allow himself a moment to stare at her behind. If she ever wore shorts, he would stare at her legs. If she ever wore a top, he would stare at her chest. And no one noticed this behavior… except his wife, Jackie Banes. She knew all about how her husband stared at Bethany, thought about her… dreamt about her, masturbated while thinking of her, thought of her as he made love to his WIFE._

Cody thinks about what his daughter is telling him. He then says- "Mister Banes once gave you detention. That was the day I met him. What happened that day?"

Bethany starts to shake. She squeezes her father's hand, and recounts the events of that day.

_Bethany was once again in English class. Today, though, she was not paying any attention at all. She kept doodling little hearts in her notebook, writing 'Jeff and Beth, forever' and 'Mrs. Jefferson Willow' all over the pages. Unbeknownst to her, Mr. Banes took his daily glance over her, and saw what she had written. He tried to keep his cool, as best he could. He appeared to be annoyed at the fact that, once again, she was not paying attention. Unbeknownst to everyone else, however, he was seething with jealousy._

"_Miss Banker,"-he says with utmost seriousness- "Detention."_

_It took all his self restraint to keep him from ripping up the offending pages. Later that day, after having cooled off, he looks over at Bethany, the sole student to get detention that day._

"_Bethany,"-he says. She is surprised to hear him call her that- "Listen… I have something to tell you, that you need to hear. Come over here."_

_He closes the door, as Bethany walks towards her teacher, he looks her over, his eyes filled with lust._

"_Bethany… I like you,"-he says to her- "I think you are very beautiful."_

_She does not know what to say. She just looks at her teacher. He proceeds, and says- "I don't know who the hell is that kid you wrote about on your notebook. He can't give you what I can."_

_He is now towering over her. She wants to get away from him. She is nervous- "Mister Bane… I want to go home."_

_He grabs her breast. Never before had anyone done that. He then says- "A kiss… please Bethany, just a kiss… and then you can go home. I promise…"_

_He leans in to kiss her. She is too scared to react. Suddenly, he hears footsteps. He lets go of her, and says- "Tell anyone about this… and I'll have you punished."_

_Bethany goes out the door, and sees her father. She rushes towards him, and embraces him. Arthur Banes gulps, heads out, and prepares himself to give his finest performance yet…_

Cody is shocked. Too shocked for words. He simply stays there, holding his sobbing daughter. He starts to seethe. His anger is now clearly visible on his face. He clenches his teeth, as his mind begins to form images of the ANIMAL that dared lay his hands on his daughter. His FOURTEEN year old daughter. Cody's hands shake in anger. Bethany notices this, and starts to back away from her father.

"Daddy… please… don't,"-Cody places his finger on her lips.

"No… I need to talk to your mother,"-he says. She's very nervous now. He gets up. His fists are tightly clenched. He exits the bedroom. Lindsay, Beth, Janey and Tyler are shocked to see him as angry as he is.

"Lindsay, step outside with me,"-Cody says- "We need to talk."

Cody and Lindsay step outside. Tyler, who is now very nervous, allows Janey to hold his injured hand. Outside, Cody told his wife everything.

"He did WHAT!!!???"-Lindsay can be heard from outside. Although the door was closed, everyone inside Beth's apartment heard her shrill scream.

Jefferson jumps up, and asks- "The heck was that?"

Ryan looks up, taps Megan on the shoulder, and asks- "Did you hear that?"

Over at the afterlife…

"Wow! Great Canadian Cheese!"- Owen exclaims- "Hey Courtney, did you hear that!?"

Courtney did not answer. She never does.

"So.."-Owen thinks about what to say- "Ok then. I'll see how Heather's doing…"


	16. Chapter 16

Sins of the Mother

Episode 15: Duncan's Memories

"Hey, Aunt Gwen!"-Ryan calls out as he rings the doorbell- "It's me, Aunt Gwen, Ryan!"

No one answers the doorbell. Ryan scratches his head in confusion. He rings it again. Megan stands in admiration of the lily garden nearby.

"Did your Aunt plant these?"-asks Megan.

"Huh? No, those are Duncan's"-Ryan replies.

"You're uncle?'-Megan asks.

"No, Duncan's not my uncle. He's my godfather,"-Ryan replies.

"Who's making all that racket!?"-A voice from inside yells out- "Come on! I gotta work the night shift!"

"Yo, Duncan!"-Ryan yells- "Tell Aunt Gwen to come out! I got someone here who wants to see her!"

As he stumbles to get the door, Megan and Ryan could hear Duncan bump into some things, and then cursing because of the pain. He opens the door in his boxers and wife beater top.

"Duncan! Can't you get arrested for indecent exposure?"-asks Ryan, with that smug look on his face. Duncan sneers a bit, rubs his eyes, yawns and scratches his head.

"What do you want, boy?"-Duncan asks- "You know I work the night shift!"

"Yeah, and I work the day shift over at Burger Fool!"-Ryan replies- "So, where's Aunt Gwen?"

"Ryan,"-Duncan looks a bit cross, but calms down- "Gwen left yesterday. Don't you remember?"

Ryan's jaw drops. He scratches his head in embarrassment. He completely forgot that small detail. He sheepishly turns to Megan, and says- "Oops."

Megan chuckles at Ryan's embarrassment, as does Duncan. To see his idiot godson get embarrassed like that amuses him.

"Anyway,"-Duncan says- "What did you need Gwen for?"

"She wanted to ask her a few questions,"-Ryan motions to Megan- "About her dad."

Duncan looks over at Megan, and gets shocked. He rubs his eyes, and says- "Heather!?"

Megan shakes her head, and says- "No, that's my mom's name. I'm Megan."

"Megan!?"-Duncan's jaw drops- "You're Heather's daughter! We always wondered what had happened to you!"

"Huh?"-Megan looks dumbfounded- "You knew my mom?'

"Sure did,"-Duncan says- "Let me put something decent on. Come on in."

Ryan and Megan sat on Duncan's couch. Ryan decides to get up and head for the fridge.

"Ryan! Gwen left me a cheesecake in the fridge, and it better be there when I check!"-Duncan yells from his bedroom. Ryan puts the cheesecake he had just picked up back into the fridge.

"How did he know?"-he asks himself. Ryan sits next to Megan, keeps his hands on his lap, and looks down on the carpet. Duncan exits the master bedroom, checks the fridge, and smiles to himself.

"Don't even think of taking my cheesecake,"-Duncan says with a smirk.

"I didn't even… never mind,"-Ryan said. He wanted to claim that he didn't even touch the cheesecake.

"So… little Megan's all grown up,"-Duncan says while eyeing Megan- "You look exactly like your mother."

"I've been told,"-Megan replies- "You must have known my mother from the show, right?"

"Yep… Total Drama Island,"-Duncan says, leaning back- "Met some of the best friends I ever had on that summer. DJ, Geoff, Trent, Gwen, even Courtney."

"You knew Jefferson's dad?"-Megan asks.

"That depends,"-Duncan says- "Who's his dad?"

"Geoff,"-Megan replies.

"Oh…"-Duncan replies, his eyes filled with nostalgia- "Surfer girl's kid…"

"Jefferson's mom surfs?"-Megan looks amazed- "I never knew. I should ask Jefferson if he knew."

"Sounds to me like there's lots of things you never knew about that crew,"-says Duncan- "Yep… I used to be a punk, Gwen used to be a Goth, Geoff used to be a goofy party animal… Good times… Hey, let me show you a picture."

Duncan goes to collect the old photo. It is that photo of the twenty two teens standing on the Dock of Shame.

"Here's me,"-Duncan points to himself- "Here's Gwen. Here's Ryan's dad, getting his ass touched by MY future wife. Here's Geoff… and this…"

"Hey Meg!"-Ryan says, pointing to Heather- "You and her related? Ya look alike!"

"That's my mom…."-Megan says. Her eyes begin to get misty, as she looks fondly at the woman who gave her life.

"She died too young,"-says Duncan, thinking back to those days…

"_Hey Geoff… thanks for not voting off Courtney,"-Duncan says._

"_Hey dude, no probs. I ain't voting off your girl. Sure, she cost us the challenge… again… but, you know. Ya gotta get some of that!"-replies Geoff, giving him a thumbs up._

"_So, you and Surfer girl gonna be hooking up soon?"-Duncan asks._

"_Oh yeah, definitely! I'm making her this thing, she'll flip!"-Geoff replies. He sees Lindsay walking along with Heather and Beth, and he says- "Looking at Lindsay… I can't help but feel a little bad about voting off Tyler."_

"_Forget it. See? She's not even upset,"-Duncan says- "She's too busy kissing Heather's ass to give a crap bout her loser jock boyfriend."_

"_Yeah… Ha ha, that's a sweet mental image,"-says Geoff- "Lindsay kissing Heather's ass."_

"_Hah hah, yeah,"-says Duncan, lightly punching Geoff's arms- "You pervert."_

"Oh yeah, you told me your mom died…"-Ryan says, scratching his head, unsure of what to say- "Sorry, sorry."

"It's ok,"-says Megan- "That was a long time ago."

"Sometimes, it seems like only yesterday,"-says Duncan- "Gwen's the one that told us all about your mom dying. Man, I remember that day…"

_Duncan was taking off his holster. He took out his gun, removed all the bullets, placed it in his box, and locked it. He starts taking off his uniform, when the phone rings._

"_Who could be calling?"-he asks himself. He picks up the phone- "Hello?"_

"_(sob) Duncan?"-It was Gwen._

"_Gwen! What happened!?"-Duncan asks, alarmed._

"_She died, she (sob)"-Gwen sounds inconsolable._

"_Your aunt!? Is she okay!? What happened!?"-Duncan begins to panic._

"_Heather… Heather's dead,"-Gwen says. She starts crying again._

"_Heather? Which Heather!?"-Duncan asks._

"_From the Island,"-Gwen says- "Heather's dead!"_

_Duncan drops the phone. Heather? That Heather? THEIR Heather? Dead…?_

"Thing about life, it surprises you all the time,"-says Duncan- "We think we always got it all figured out, then BAM! A surprise hits ya in the face."

"So… Mrs. Gwen was the one to tell you my mom died,"-says Megan- "How did she find out?"

"Gwen had an Aunt who lived in Newfoundland,"-says Duncan- "By mere coincidence, she lived right next door to you and your mom. She seemed to have gotten close to your mom. Gwen told me back then, that her aunt used to baby sit you when you were younger."

"I never knew that…"-says Megan- "I grew up in Newfoundland?"

"Yup,"-says Duncan- "Dear Aunt Deborah. She passed away three years ago."

Megan looks down, as her eyes get wet with tears. Ryan thinks of what to say.

"Hey, uh,"-Ryan tries to say something- "Uh…I got nothing… wait! Uh… sorry, I don't know what to say."

"Then keep your mouth shut,"-says Duncan.

"It's ok, Ryan,"-says Megan- "I know you were just trying to cheer me up."

"Wow… you sure you're Heather's kid?"-Duncan asks- "Because she and you… like night and day, know what I'm saying?"

"I've… been told,"-Megan looks away.

"Hey, Meg, come on!"-says Ryan, placing his hand on her back- "I mean, I'm nothing like my dad either, but I'm ok with that!"

"That's not exactly a very reassuring statement, kid,"-Duncan says with a smirk- "For one thing, unlike you, your dad can actually hold a job."

"Oh, come on!"-Ryan protests- "I mean, I only got fired ONCE!… this year…"

Megan giggles at Ryan's embarrassment. This makes Ryan smile. Duncan notices how they interact, and smirks.

"Wow Ryan, looks like you finally bagged one, eh?"-Duncan says. Ryan looks away, as if a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, no sir, it's nothing like that,"-Megan says- "We're just friends."

"Oh! Ha ha ha, still,"-says Duncan, looking at Ryan- "You're the closest thing he's ever had to a girlfriend."

"So I've been told,"-Megan says, smirking at Ryan, who just hides his face in his hands.

Duncan sighs. He places his hands behind his head, and leans back on his chair. He says- "Seeing you kids… reminds me of that summer, for some reason…"

Over at Beth's…

Tyler hid from Lindsay behind a flower pot. It was a poor choice, as both Janey and Beth could see very well where he was.

"Oh man, I don't remember Lindsay ever being THAT scary!"-says Tyler.

"Don't you remember the one time she cursed out Heather?"-replies Beth- "May she rest in peace?'

"Yeah… I always thought that was a one time thing,"-Tyler replies. Outside the apartment, Beth and Tyler could hear Lindsay using a very colorful language. Beth covered Janey's ears.

"Boy… I wonder what got her like that?"-asks Tyler. He then notices something, and says to Beth- "Hey… check up on Bethany, ok?"

Beth and Janey go to check up on Bethany. Tyler himself, however, chooses to remain hidden. As he starts to feel SLIGHTLY safer, he starts to reminisce about that summer…

_Tyler is playing with his yo-yo, while Harold watches on._

"_Tyler, you noob!"-says Harold- "That ain't how you handle a yo-yo!"_

"_Sure it is!"-Tyler replies. He then proceeds to get tangled up in his own yo-yo string._

"_Hah hah! That's the second time that's happened to you!"-says Duncan. That was when Katie and Sadie walked by._

"_Um, like, Tyler?"-asked Katie- "Like, that blonde Gopher girl, like, sent you a note."_

"_Can you read it for me?'-Tyler asks- "I'm a little tied up at the moment."_

"_It says,"-Sadie begins to read the note- "Dear Trevor: I like you. You're cute. Let's make out again sometime. Love, Lindsay."_

"_Alright! She wants some more!"-says Tyler- "Wait a minute! Did she call me Trevor?"_

_Harold starts to chuckle, and says- "Oh man, she called you by the wrong name. Not a good sign!"_

Behind the flower pot, Tyler chuckles to himself. He feels the urge to pee. He gets out of his hiding spot, and makes his way to the bathroom. That was when Lindsay burst into the apartment, pushes Tyler out of the way, and rushes to her daughter.

"Ow,"-Tyler says as he tries to get up. Cody walks in, and helps him get up.

"She's… a little angry right now,"-Cody makes the understatement of the Millennium.

Back at Duncan's…

"Hey, Mister Duncan, sir,"-Megan says- "Where exactly did Mrs. Gwen go?"

"Well now, you're polite, I like that,"-Duncan says, smiling at Megan- "Gwen left for Camp Wawanakwa. We usually go together, but… I had work. Lots of it."

"Wow! That's where I'm going!"-says Megan, amazed.

"Really?"-says Duncan- "So, you're into the paranormal, too?"

"Huh?"-Megan asks, confused.

"Aunt Gwen is the coolest!"-says Ryan- "She can actually sense ghosts!"

"Ha ha, Ryan, you and I both know that's not true,"-says Duncan- "Gwen and I visit Lake Wawanakwa every year. We do it because, well… that place brings back memories. But yeah… those camp grounds have something weird to them."

"Yeah… oh, I so wanted to go this year!"-says Ryan- "But Trent grounded me…"

"In any case,"-says Duncan- "That place can be creepy as hell sometimes. Way worse than Boney Island…"

"So why go there?"-asks Megan.

"Well… because 15 years ago, Gwen and I took a trip down memory lane,"-Duncan begins to tell the tale…

"_It's amazing,"-says Gwen- "This place hasn't changed a bit."_

"_Yeah,"-Duncan replies- "Except now, it doesn't have any cameras."_

_Twenty two year old Duncan and Gwen walked around Camp Wawanakwa. The cabin's look a bit more deteriorated, the mess hall's door is missing, and the communal bathroom has a whole in the ceiling. Otherwise, everything looks much like it did six years ago._

_Gwen's hair color is now its natural brown color. Her lipstick is red, not blue. She's wearing a midnight blue tank top, denim shorts and a pair of sandals. Duncan himself is wearing an olive shirt with Camo pants, and a pair of boots. His Mohawk is gone, as are his piercings._

"_Hey, check out the Gopher Cabin,"-says Gwen, motioning to her old cabin- "Wow… hasn't changed a bit, huh?"_

"_Nope… neither has the Bass Cabin,"-says Duncan- "I checked."_

"_This was a great trip, huh?"-asks Gwen- "I mean… this place is just so…beautiful."_

"_Yeah… it is,"-Duncan says- "Kinda like you."_

_Gwen blushes. Duncan seems to be thinking abut something._

"_Hey Gwen,"-he says._

"_Yeah, Duncan?"-she responds._

"_Wanna be my wife?"-Duncan asks. He pulls out a ring, not at all fancy, but a humble metal ring with a small diamond. Gwen gasps. She takes the ring, and places it on her finger._

"Wow,"-Megan says, blushing, yet smiling- "What a great story."

"Yep,"-Duncan says- "And it all happened at Camp Wawanakwa. God, I wish I could have gone with Gwen. I miss her badly."

"So… if that place is your couple's retreat,"-Ryan says- "Why did she go alone?"

"Well, because she believes there's something over at that Camp,"-says Duncan- "Something out of this world. And in any case, I'm going over there tomorrow."

"Wow,"-Megan says- "I'm heading over there myself. Perhaps we will see each other there."

"So… why are you going there?"-asks Duncan.

"Because… this will sound funny to you,"-she says- "I've been there before… in my dreams."

Duncan looks at her, wide eyed. Ryan seems confused. Megan blushes, and says- "I know, it's a stupid reason."

"Yeah, when you say it like that, it is,"-says Duncan- "In your dreams, who do you meet there?"

Megan looks away for a bit, and says- "At first, I thought I met my guardian angel there. But, now I know… in my dreams… I meet my mom over at Camp Wawanakwa…"

Ryan's jaw drops. Duncan nods. He says- "I see… yeah… I don't know what you will find there. I don't believe in ghosts, or any of that nonsense. But Gwen does…"

"I feel kind of bad… Mister Jameson, Janey, Bethany… and Jefferson accompanied me all this way, never knowing why I was going there."-Megan says, looking down on the ground- "And I just told a total stranger the truth."

"Hey, don't sweat it,"-says Duncan, patting her shoulder- "They'll understand. And if they don't… you and I could always go there together."

'Thanks mister Duncan, but…"-Megan looks at him directly- "I've been told never to ride with strangers."

"Ha ha ha! Whoever raised you did a bang up job!"-says Duncan- "If Gwen and I ever had a kid, I'd consider myself lucky if she turned out to be just like you."

Megan blushes. Ryan gets up, and heads for the fridge.

"Ryan, you better lay off my cheesecake,"-says Duncan. Ryan puts down the cheesecake, and grabs a banana instead.

"How did he know?"-Ryan asks himself, as he eats his banana.

"Oh, and Meg,"-Duncan says- "I'm no stranger, ok? I'm a cop. And a friend."

Megan smiles. She shakes Duncan's hand. She says- "I'd best be going now. We don't want to take any more of your time."

"Nonsense!"-Duncan says- "It's no bother!"

"But, you told us you had to work the night shift, remember?"-Megan says.

"True,"-Duncan pulls Ryan's shirt collar, and says- "Hey! You could learn a thing or two from this girl."

"Aw, come on, Duncan!"-Ryan protests- "I'm not so bad!"

"Yeah, sure,"-Duncan says, laughing- "True, at least you're no thug."

"Yeah, well, anyway, we gotta go,"-says Ryan. As he and Megan leave Duncan's house, they wave goodbye to the helpful officer of the law.

As Megan and Ryan walked back to Beth's, Megan sees Jefferson sitting on a bench.

"Jefferson!"-she cries out, and runs towards him. Ryan looks at this with a bit of envy.

"Wish I had a girl like that,"-he says to himself- "Jefferson… you don't know how lucky you are."

Megan sits down next to Jefferson. It was two in the afternoon.

"Hey Meg, did you get to see her?"-Jefferson asks.

"No, but I saw her husband"-she replies- "He said she's over at Camp Wawanakwa."

"Huh, what a coincidence,"-he responds. He finally sees Ryan, and he grows a bit envious- "You went with him, huh?"

"Yeah, he showed me the way to her house,"-Megan says. Jefferson grows even more envious.

"Well, whatever,"-Jefferson responds- "It's all good."

Ryan didn't like seeing this one bit. In his opinion, Jefferson should be all over Megan, treating her like a queen. Instead, he's acting all 'cool'.

"Let's go back,"-says Jefferson. He and Meg get up. Ryan follows them.

"Hey Jefferson, a word?"-Ryan asks. Jefferson signals to Megan that he will have a word with Ryan.

"What do you want?"-Jefferson sounded colder than usual. It was his jealousy.

"You like Megan?"-Ryan asks. Jefferson is taken aback by this sudden question.

"Yeah,"-Jefferson replies, low enough so that Megan doesn't hear him- "I do."

Though Ryan had hoped that was the answer he'd be given, he had to admit, hearing that hurt. Ryan then says- "Don't tell that to me. Tell that to HER."

Ryan walks past Jefferson. Megan asks him- "What did you guys talk about?"

"Uh, guy stuff,"-Ryan responds.

Jefferson saw the way Ryan acted. He had to admit, he didn't like seeing that. But, it was not due to his jealousy.

"Sorry, Ryan,"-Jefferson says to himself- "I saw her first, but… I can't blame you for liking her, too."


	17. Chapter 17

Sins of the Mother

Episode 16: Here and there.

Megan, Jefferson and Ryan had finally arrived at Beth's apartment. Ryan stops, thinks for a second, and then looks around. He notices that there are a few trashcans that had been knocked over.

"Weird…"-he thinks to himself.

Jefferson opens the door. As the three of them enter, the boys freeze in their tracts upon seeing Lindsay. She was hugging Bethany, sobbing uncontrollably, sometimes alternating with cursing Arthur's name. However, neither boy could see beyond her sexy figure. Though both boys tried so hard not to stare… it's just impossible with a woman like Lindsay. Megan, however, was more concerned over the fact that Bethany was crying, too.

"What happened?'-Megan asks, concerned. Neither Lindsay, nor Bethany answered. They were far too busy crying.

"Uhhh… please don't ask,"-says Beth- "Neither of those two is ready to talk about this right now."

"Well, do you know?"-asks Megan.

"Uhhh… that's not something I should say…"-Beth looks away. Janey enters the room, along with her father.

"Megan! You're back!"-Janey goes to greet her friend. She passes her mother and sister, and gives her friend a hug.

"Uh, Janey…"-Megan began.

"Megan,"-Janey's eyes reflected her own sadness- "Mom and dad are here to take us home. Something's happened to Bethany…"

"Bethany,"-Megan looked at the fourteen year old girl with great concern. Jefferson passes by Megan, and approaches Bethany.

"Bethany, what happened?"-he asks her. Bethany stops crying, sees her crush, and immediately composes herself. Then she lets go of her mom, and embraces Jefferson.

"Jefferson! Oh, Jeffy, I missed you!"-Bethany said, cooing into his ear. Jefferson, Megan, and pretty much everyone except Lindsay sweat dropped over how ridiculous this scene was. Lindsay just looked on.

"Uh… Bethany, sweetie, who's this?"-asks Lindsay- "Wait… I know you! You're Gidget's son, Geoffrey!"

"My mom's name is Bridgette,"-says Jefferson, rather plainly- "And my name is Jefferson."

"Oh, ok then,"-Lindsay responds. Then she turns towards her daughter, and says- "Honey, I'm gonna get that teacher of yours, and I'm gonna teach him what's what!"

"Mommy, no!"-Bethany objected- "Don't… don't do anything, please!"

"I'm gonna get that Arthur Banes, and I'm gonna,"-Lindsay then began a long tirade of vulgarities. She described the many painful, horrible things she'd do to Arthur Banes, once she'd see him. Beth had to ensure to cover Janey's ears, as she did not want her goddaughter exposed to such language. Sadly, Cody was incapable of covering Bethany's ears, so she was subject to the long, lewd and vulgar descriptions. Once Lindsay was done, there was an absolute silence filling the room. Then, Ryan broke the silence, by chuckling.

"Dude, she totally said,"-Ryan then repeated a very naughty word that I myself am too classy to repeat.

"You kiss your mother with that mouth!?"-Lindsay asks, appalled and angered- "And just who the heck are you!?"

"Uh, I'm Ryan Smith, ma'am,"-Ryan extends his hand towards Lindsay- "I'm a friend of your daughter, Bethany."

"Hey! Just because you saved me from some potential mugger, that doesn't make you my friend, you jerk!"-Bethany says, blushing madly.

"A WHAT!!!???"-Lindsay is shocked- "What the hell happened!?"

"Uh, yesterday, I…"-Bethany was now nervous- "I, uh…"

"She got lost in the city, and nearly got attacked by some old guy,"-Ryan says- "But it's ok. I saved her."

Bethany confirmed his tale. Lindsay, as well as Cody, are paralyzed with shock. That was when Tyler made the mistake of coming out of his hiding place.

"YOU!!!!"-Lindsay grabs Tyler, and places him in a choke hold- "If you hadn't kidnapped my girls, none of this would have happened!!!"

"You're… choking me,"-Tyler says, weakly- "And I… didn't…"

"Lindsay! That happened after Tyler dropped Bethany off here!"-Says Beth, trying to save Tyler from what could possibly be his death. It didn't work.

"Mommy! Please don't hurt Mister Jameson!"-said Janey- "He actually took good care of us!"

Lindsay lets go of Tyler, who started coughing. Tyler says- "I don't remember her being that strong."

Cody had been thinking about what he had to do. As he analyzed the situation, he opted to speak to Tyler.

"Uh, Tyler, a word?"-Cody and Tyler step outside. There, Cody says- "First, thanks you for taking care of my girls. They're my love and joy."

"Hey, dude, uh,"-Tyler stammers- "I didn't kidnap them, ok? They merely…"

"Yeah, I know,"-Cody continues- "Bethany would have run away anyway. Janey would have followed her, no matter what. But at least they were with you."

"Hey, uh, why did Bethany run away?"-asks Tyler.

"Before I answer that question, what can you tell me about Arthur Banes?"-asks Cody.

"Oh, he's the 9th grade English Teacher,"-says Tyler- "He's a nice guy, actually. But… sometimes, he seems distracted by something, you know?"

"Does anything about him ever struck you as odd?"-asks Cody.

"Yeah, one thing,"-Tyler responds- "Every now and again, you see him in the hallway. He always seems to be looking for someone. And I've been told once that the janitor caught him staring at this brunette girl."

"And no one did anything?'-Cody seems angered now.

"We didn't have evidence,"-says Tyler- "I mean, the janitor's word is not enough."

"What if, a student had been sexually harassed by a teacher?'-Cody asks. Tyler is shocked.

"Well… the student could sue. If the teacher is found guilty, he or she would have his or her license removed, permanently,"-says Tyler- "Course, it would be a hard case, IF it's the student's word against the teacher's, with no other evidence or witnesses."

"So that's it!?'-Cody is now very angry- "My daughter gets violated, and there's nothing I can do unless I at least have someone else who saw the whole thing!?"

Tyler is shocked. He never knew.

"Shit…"-Tyler says- "Arthur Banes… damn it!"

"Yeah…"-says Cody- "Now what do I do?"

"I believe you, don't worry,"-says Tyler- "But… I'm just saying that… with no evidence…"

"I know,"-says Cody- "So… what do I do?"

"Whatever you do, don't let Lindsay anywhere near the guy!"-says Tyler- "No joke, dude. She could kill him, and the only person that would get arrested is her."

"Shit,"-Cody says, slamming his fists- "Now what?"

Tyler and Cody stay silent. Meanwhile, Bethany had told Jefferson, Ryan and Megan the whole story. Jefferson was angry, to say the very least.

Meanwhile, at the afterlife…

"So, Owen,"-says Geoff- "What will we do about Courtney?"

"I talked to Izzy yesterday,"-says Owen- "Seems only the living can snap her out of her guilt."

Owen and Geoff are drinking inside a bar. This bar itself is located within the town of Lumina, a town in the afterlife that houses the dead. This town is just one of many. Owen and Geoff frequent this town, for their own reasons.

"It's night time outside,"-says Geoff- "Course, it's always night time here."

"Yeah,"-Owen sips his drink- "Hey, did you see Paul lately?"

"Who?"-Geoff asks- "I know many guys named Paul, remember?'

"Paul Slate, Heather's husband,"-says Owen.

"Oh yeah! He thinks him becoming a faceless is the best for everyone,"-says Geoff, putting his drink down.

The faceless are spirits that writhe in their own guilt and sorrow. In truth, there is no Heaven, and no Hell. Just the afterlife. However, being a faceless is the direct equivalent of being in Hell. This bar itself is usually full of many faceless, who just drink their sorrows away, like they would have done in our world.

"So… he can't forgive himself either, eh?"-Owen says- "Suicide would do that to ya."

"Yeah… but Courtney…"-Geoff says, just staring at his drink.

"Courtney's a special case. She won't leave Camp Wawanakwa,"-says Owen- "We're not supposed to stay so attached to the world of the living."

"Hey,"-says Geoff- "Seems like Heather's girl is heading to Camp, too."

"Oh yeah!"-Owen says, realizing what that meant- "We can ask her to help Courtney get rid of her guilt!"

"I heard she's coming over to find out more about Heather,"-says Geoff- "I don't know if she'll be able to convince Courtney…"

"Yeah… but Heather's busy these days,"-says Owen- "She only ever comes when she's asked to."

"Yeah…"-Geoff finishes his drink- "Hey, want to go over to Wawanakwa Island?"

"Sure dude,"-Owen finishes his drink, and the two friends head off elsewhere.

Back at the real world…

"I have an idea,"-says Cody. He and Tyler step back inside. They see Megan trying her best to keep Jefferson from going ballistic. It was working somewhat. Ryan himself was thinking…

"Beth?"-Cody motions to Beth- "I think, you, Lindsay and I have something to discuss."

"What?'-Beth and Lindsay ask in unison.

"There's nothing we ca do, for now,"-says Cody- "Except look for evidence. If we go and sue Banes now, we might have a case, but no way to defend it."

"I don't want to sue him,"-Lindsay says- "I want to KILL him!!!"

"No one's killing anyone!"-Cody says sternly- "Listen… I don't know how, but… we WILL have justice!"

"I have an idea!"-says Ryan- "Sorry to butt in, but, my mom's a lawyer! She just happens to specialize in sexual harassment lawsuits!"

"That's a good idea!"-Cody says. He takes the number Ryan wrote for him. Then he says- "This will take a little while, but… I think we can do this!"

"I still won't rest until I see that man behind bars!"-says Lindsay. Beth nods her head in agreement.

Megan walks over to Janey and Bethany.

"You gonna be ok, Bethany?"-Megan asks. Bethany nods her head.

"I have Jefferson with me! So long as he's with me, I'll be fine,"-says Bethany. Megan looks away, but Bethany also says- "Hey… I've been curious. Why are you going to Camp Wawanakwa?"

"This will sound silly, but…"-Megan hesitates, but continues- "I've been there, in my dreams. That's where I meet my mom… who died 13 years ago."

Bethany and Janey are silent for a little while. Then Bethany says- "You've seen her in your dreams? Wow… I wish I could go too."

"Yeah,"-Janey says- "It would be so cool, seeing ghosts like that."

"Girls?"-Cody says- "Listen… for a little while… things are gonna be hectic around the house, ok? So… would you like to stay at Beth's for a while?"

"I… just don't think that… well,"-Lindsay was shaking uncontrollably with anger.

"Mommy, daddy, please, just drop it,"-Bethany pleads- "I'd rather just not go back to that school anymore. I don't want you to…"

"Honey,"-Cody interrupts his daughter- "If we let this go, nothing will be solved. You think running away from your problem will make it go away? No, it won't. This is the only way, honey. The only way we can make sure that man doesn't do what he did to you ever again."

Bethany's crying again. Cody hugs his daughter, comforting her.

"Mister Jameson told me the same thing,"-Bethany says.

"Yeah, he's a smart man,"-says Cody.

"Tyler,"-Lindsay begins- "Thank you, for making sure my daughters were alright."

"Sure, Lindsay"-Tyler keeps his distance- "Just, don't hurt me again, ok?"

"Anyway,"-says Beth- "It will be my pleasure to take care of Bethany and Heather, while you two sort this thing out."

"Thank you, Beth,"-says Cody. Lindsay also thanks her.

Over at Camp Wawanakwa…

Izzy and Gwen sat inside the Gopher cabin. White candles littered the cabin.

"Tonight, I'll speak to Owen again,"-says Izzy.

Someone give the girl a prize! Of all the 18 surviving campers from Total Drama Island, Izzy's the one that has kept the most youthful appearance. The woman, though aged 37, didn't look a day over 25. Her wild red hair, her beautiful skin, her face… not one inch of her body gave any indication of her real age. She wore a leather bra and panties, with a skirt made of leaves.

"Hey, have the dead told you anything new lately?'-asks Gwen.

"Oh yeah!"-Izzy says- "Heather's girl will be showing up, soon!"

"Wow,"-says Gwen- "Little Megan… my aunt Deborah would be happy to know how she's doing."

"I should tell her!"-says Izzy- "Or, better yet, Deborah could see her by herself. Tomorrow night… I'll bring Megan to the other world."


	18. Chapter 18

Sins of the Mother

Episode 17: Flowers in Bloom

The Sun was setting on this day. The sky was a beautiful orange color, as various wild ducks and geese flew across the sky. Janey had opted to step outside, to get some fresh air.

"So much has happened, in just two days,"-she says to herself. She thinks back to how she started that day… when everything began…

_Janey woke up. She checks her calendar, and sees that it's a Saturday. She gets out of bed, and takes a shower. She looks at herself in the mirror. Once again, all she sees is a fat, pimply girl. She sees the scale, and considers measuring herself. She gets on the scale. She closes her eyes, hoping to see a smaller number than the one she saw yesterday. She opens them, and looks down. The scale read 180 pounds. She sighs to herself. Fat, that's all she was. A fat, pimply, ugly, flat chested beast._

_Janey got dressed, and went to get her breakfast. Lindsay had made pancakes for her two daughters that morning. Janey sighs._

"_Mommy, why did you make pancakes?"-she asks._

"_I thought you loved pancakes,"-Lindsay says._

"_They're so fattening,"-Janey says, taking a big bite of her pancakes. She didn't want to pass up her mom's pancakes. They were always so warm and fluffy._

"_Honey, you're not fat,"-Lindsay tries to reassure her daughter._

"_Mommy, look at me!"-Janey says- "I look like a basketball!"_

"_Oh, honey, of course you don't!"-Lindsay protests- "Basketballs are orange!"_

"_I'm as round as a basketball,"-Janey says, eating the last bite of her pancakes. Lindsay tries to comfort her daughter, to no avail._

Janey sighs. The sunset was too gorgeous to stay upset. She bites into her chocolate bar, and admires the sunset some more. She looks down into her figure. Once again, she sees her big, round belly. Her eyes start to tear up again. She feels her chest. All she has is a B cup, barely noticeable. She thinks about her mom and sister, and how they both have such ample breasts. This just makes her sadder still.

Megan and Jefferson had decided to watch the sunset as well. They stepped outside, unto the balcony. At that moment, Janey had opted to step back inside with no incident.

"Was it me, or did Janey seem upset?"-asks Megan.

"I didn't notice,"-Jefferson replied.

"I can't believe what happened to Bethany,"-says Megan, looking away.

"I find that Banes guy, I'll clobber him,"-Jefferson says, seething with anger.

"Just leave a piece for me, ok?"-Megan says, determined.

"Ha ha, since when are you so violent?'-asks Jefferson.

"What do you mean?"-asks Megan- "When have you ever known me to be shy?"

Jefferson leans back unto his chair, and thinks back on simpler times…

_Eighteen year old Jefferson was walking alongside fifteen year old Megan. It was raining, so they shared an umbrella. Unbeknownst to Jefferson, Megan was blushing somewhat._

"_What a nice day,"-says Jefferson._

"_Yeah, the rain's making it nice and cool,"-Megan replies._

"_So what did you do at school today?"-Jefferson asks._

"_Same thing as yesterday,"-Megan replies- "Only Gym class was canceled because the Gym kind of flooded."_

"_Ha ha. Will they ever fix that gym?"-Jefferson wonders while laughing. Suddenly, he slips and falls on his bottom._

"_Ow!"-he says, trying to get up. Megan offers him a hand._

"_Thanks, but, I can get up on my own,"-Jefferson says. He slips again, however._

"_Clumsy, bull headed jerk,"-Megan says, while laughing. She was getting wet from the rain, because Jefferson was the one holding the umbrella. This time, he takes her hand, and manages to get up._

"_Thank you, Meg,"-Jefferson dusts himself, and gives Megan the umbrella- "You're all wet!"_

"_A little rain never killed anyone,"-she replies. He laughs, she laughs._

Jefferson looks at the sunset, and sighs contently. He then gets a surprise, as Bethany grabs his arm, and sits between him and Megan.

"Wow, Jeffy… what a gorgeous sunset…"-she says dreamily. Megan was none too happy with the intrusion. However, she opts to let it go, and just head back inside.

Inside, she finds Janey, sitting by herself.

"Something wrong, Janey?"-Megan asks her friend.

"Uh, no,"-Janey lies- "It's just… mom and dad are gonna be busy a while… and uh… you know…"

"Janey…"-Megan looks at her friend sympathetically- "What happened to your sister… I mean… that's just all levels of wrong."

"I know,"-Janey replies- "I wish…"

"Yeah?"-Megan presses on.

"Never mind, it's nothing,"-Janey dismisses the issue. She opts to go to her room.

"I wish,"-Janey thought to herself- "Someone would touch my boobs, like they did to Bethany."

Janey looked at herself in the mirror. The same face, the same round body. Whenever Janey looks at herself, all she sees is a pig. Just once, she wishes she could be as beautiful as her mother. Just once. Janey closed her eyes, and thought back to the days of her childhood.

_Cody and Lindsay took their daughters to the beach one day. Janey was 8, Bethany was 9. Lindsay wore a two piece red bikini. Janey looks at her mother's curvy figure with admiration. _

"_Some day,"-Janey says to herself- "I'm gonna be as pretty as mommy." _

Janey snaps out of her flashback. She sighs to herself. She opts to go outside and take a short walk. The evening breeze felt especially good today. She suddenly hears a song. She gets curious as to who might be singing. She peers over a fence, and sees Ryan is the one who was singing, as he dribbled a basketball.

"Oh! You're Bethany's sister!"-Ryan waves to Janey. Janey waves back. He makes his way towards her.

"Sorry, I just heard someone sing, and I wanted to see who it was,"-Janey said, blushing from the embarrassment. She's also blushing because she thought Ryan looked especially handsome, sweating like that- "What was that song you were singing?"

"Dude! You've never heard this song before!?"-Ryan asks, astonished- "Here! Listen to this."

Ryan then began to sing:

_It's more than a feeling!_

_When I hear that old song they used to play!_

_I keep on dreaming! (More than a feeling!)_

_When I see Mary Anne walk away!_

_I see my Mary Anne walking away…_

"Nope, never heard it before today,"-Janey says, blushing.

"Dude! That's 'More than a Feeling' by Boston! Best song ever!"-Ryan protests.

"It's nice, but,"-Janey says- "The best song ever? Not even close."

"Oh really?"-asks Ryan- "Then what do YOU think is the best song ever?"

"Well,"-Janey blushes- "It has to be 'Gimme Gimme Gimme' by Yngwie Malmsteem."

"Never heard of it,"-Ryan says- "Care to sing it for me?"

Janey began to sing for Ryan:

_Gimme, Gimme, Gimme your love after Midnight!_

_Take me through the darkness, till the break of the day!_

_Half past twelve, and I'm watching the late show!_

_In my room all alone! How I hate to spend the evening on my own!_

_Tired of TV! I open the window, as I gaze into the night!_

_And there's no I can see, no one in sight!_

_Is there a soul out there!?_

_Someone to hear my prayers!?_

_Gimme, gimme, gimme, your love after midnight!_

_Take me through the darkness till the break of the day!_

"That's an ABBA song!"-says Ryan- "Some of the lyrics have been changed, but it's still an ABBA song!"

"What's ABBA?"-Asks Janey.

"This old band my grandma listened to,"-Ryan says- "They broke up when she was still in High School."

"Wow, that must have been years ago,"-Janey says.

"Hey, what about your sister?'-asks Ryan- "What's her favorite song?"

Janey's face falls, but she still starts singing:

_Shot through the Heart! And you're to blame!_

_Darling, you give love a bad name!_

_An angel's smile, is what you sell!_

_You promise me Heaven, then put me through Hell!_

_Chains of love, got a hold of me!_

_When passion's a prison, you can't break free!_

_Who-a-oh! You're a loaded gun!_

_Who-a-oh! There's nowhere to run!_

_No one can save me, the damage is done!_

_Shot through the heart! And you're to blame, _

_You give love, a bad name!_

_I play my part, and you play your game! _

_You give love, a bad name!_

"A Bon Jovi song,"-says Ryan- "Specifically, that's 'You give love a bad name'. It's a classic!"

"Yeah,"-Janey starts to look away.

"Why are you turning away?"-Ryan asks- "Did I upset you?"

"No,"-Janey lies- "I… don't like singing. I'm not good at it."

"Bullshit!"-Ryan protests- "You've got the best singing voice I've ever heard!"

That makes Janey blush. She smiles a bit. Never before had a boy complimented her.

"Thank you,"-she says, smiling widely.

"Hey… your sis is kinda hot!"-Ryan says, smiling foolishly- "She single?"

"Yes…"-Janey's face falls again.

"You hate your sister,"-Ryan states.

"No!"-Janey protests- "It's just… everyone just talks about her… and sometimes… I feel like I don't exist…"

"Why?"-Ryan asks, concerned for the young girl.

"It's because I'm so ugly. And Bethany is so beautiful,"-Janey says, tears forming in her eyes.

"You're not ugly,"-Ryan says in all honesty- "Sure, your sister is much hotter, but… you're kinda cute too!"

"Oh, bullshit,"-Janey says- "Look at me! And look at her… I'll never be pretty. I'll always be this fat, ugly pig!"

Ryan thinks for a while, and then starts dribbling his basketball.

"Huh… when I was 11, the docs said I'd never develop the hand-eye coordination needed to perform certain tasks, like dribbling this ball,"-Ryan then shoots the ball, and lands the basket- "I proved them wrong."

Janey dries her tears, intrigued by where Ryan was going with this.

"When I was 7, the doctors told me my asthma would never allow me to play sports,"-Ryan breathes in deeply, and wipes the sweat off his brow- "I proved them wrong."

Ryan walks over to his ball, and picks it up. He says- "When I was 3, the doctors told my dad that my legs would never develop enough strength to help me walk short distances. (he jumps, and dunks the ball) Proved them wrong again."

Ryan walks over to Janey, and places his hand on her shoulder- "When I was a year old, the docs told my dad I wouldn't live past age 2. And yet, here I am, literally healthier than the day I was born."

Janey looks at Ryan with great admiration. However, her face falls again. She says- "But that has nothing to do with me…"

"Janey, was it? Listen… Let me tell you what my Aunt Gwen told me when I was 13,"-Ryan says, as he narrates the story…

_Ryan measure himself on the door. He's still barely five foot four._

"_Aunt Gwen, why am I so short?"-asks Ryan- "All the boys in my class are already taller than me…" _

_Gwen looks at her godson, who was spending the night at her house. She smiles at him, and directs him to Duncan's garden._

"_See all these flowers?"-she says- "They all bloomed at the same time, more or less. Ah! But look at this one! It's late. It hasn't bloomed yet."_

"_Will it ever bloom?"-asks Ryan._

"_It sure will, Ryan,"-says Gwen- "And when it does, it will be just like her flower friends! Maybe even prettier."_

"_So, why didn't it bloom before?"-asks Ryan._

"_Because not all flowers bloom at the same time,"-says Gwen- "Some bloom before others."_

"_So… I'm just like that flower,"-says Ryan, understanding what she was saying._

"_Give it time, Ryan,"-Megan says- "You'll grow, too. In your own time."_

"So, anyway, that's what my Aunt Gwen said,"-Ryan finishes his story. Janey smiles, understanding what Ryan was trying to tell her.

"But… I will always be fat,"-says Janey.

"Nonsense!"-Ryan protests- "All you need is diet and exercise for that!"

"You think… I'll become beautiful, like my sister?"-asks Janey.

"No,"-Ryan says. Janey lowers her head, but Ryan picks her chin up- "You'll be beautiful, no matter who you are compared to."

Janey blushes madly. Ryan smiles. He looks at the sunset.

"Hey Janey, wanna sing a song?'-he asks.

"Ok!"-she replies with enthusiasm- "How about your favorite?"

"Do you know the lyrics?"-he asks.

"No… but I'll fake it!"-she says, laughing. He laughs as well, and they begin to sing:

_I woke up this morning, and the Sun was gone_

_I stumble in my room, as years go by_

_I turn on the radio, and this song comes up_

_I close my eyes, and I slip away!!!!_

_More than a feeling!_

_When I hear that old song, they used to play!_

_I keep on dreaming! (More than a feeling)_

_When I see Mary Anne walk away!_

_I see my Mary Anne, walking away…_

And thus, the sun finally sent its last rays for the day. As the stars began to creep out and deliver their twinkle light, Ryan and Janey end their song. As they say their goodbyes for the day, Janey smiles to herself.

"Bethany should forget about Jefferson,"-she says to herself- "And focus on you, Ryan."

Janey passed her Godmother, sister, Jefferson and Megan, as she made her way to the bathroom. As she cleans her face, she looks at herself on the mirror. For the fist time in a long time, Janey sees a beautiful face smiling back at her.


	19. Chapter 19

**Sins of the Mother**

**Episode 18: A row.**

**The stars were coming out. Megan and Jefferson were outside, looking at the stars.**

"**Jefferson?"-Megan asks- "Do you believe in Heaven?"**

"**Not really,"-Jefferson replies- "I find it to be a silly idea."**

"**Why?"-Megan asks.**

"**It's just silly. I mean, what's the point of living forever?"-Jefferson replies- "What about you? Do you believe in Heaven?"**

"**Yeah,"-she replies- "Ever since I was a little girl, I've believed in Heaven."**

"**I see,"-Jefferson lay deep in thought. Megan looks at him with curiosity.**

"**What are you thinking about?"-she asks.**

"**Not much,"-he replies. She sighs, and continues looking at the stars.**

"**Did you call your mom recently?'-she asks.**

"**Yeah, she's doing fine,"-he replies- "DJ's a good man. He takes care of her real well."**

"**I'm glad to hear that,"-she replies- "I've always liked your mom."**

**Megan leans back, and thinks about the time Jefferson introduced her to Bridgette…**

_**Megan had gone to Jefferson's house in order to get some help with her Geometry work. She and Jefferson had, to the shock of everyone who knew him, formed a friendship.**_

"_**So, Meg, got your homework?"-Jefferson asked. **_

"_**Yeah, don't worry,"-Megan takes out her notebook, and shows it to Jefferson- "Thanks for helping me out. I've been struggling with this subject for a while."**_

"_**Nah, it's ok,"-he replies. He looks at the work, and says- "This subject is actually quite hard. I don't blame you for needing help."**_

"_**Yeah, well,"-Megan gives him the stink eye- "I usually don't ever ask for help. I'm just really, really desperate."**_

_**Jefferson laughs at this. She laughs as well. That was when Bridgette had entered the dining room. **_

"_**Jefferson, son… um, tonight, uh, we… huh?"-Bridgette had finally noticed the fourteen year old girl that was accompanying her son- "Son, who is this?"**_

"_**Hello, Ma'am. My name is Megan. I'm a friend of your son's,"-Megan extends her hand, Bridgette shakes it, and suddenly smiles.**_

"_**It's a pleasure to meet you, Megan,"-Bridgette was all smiles. Jefferson was quite shocked to see her like that.**_

"_**Your son's helping me with my homework,"-Megan says, pointing to her notes.**_

"_**Oh my! Then please, don't let me interrupt you!"-Bridgette just couldn't stop smiling. She was just so happy. She leaves the two teens alone. As she closes the door behind her, she says to herself- "Awesome! My son has a friend…"**_

**Megan looks at the stars. She says- "I never could see any of the constellations. I'm just no astronomer."**

"**Neither could I,"-Jefferson replies- "Of course, I'm no stargazer."**

"**I actually like looking at the stars,"-she replies.**

"**I see,"-Jefferson keeps gazing at the stars- "Hey Meg."**

"**Yeah Jeff?"-She replies.**

"**So… something on my mind,"-he says- "Why are you going to Camp Wawanakwa?"**

"**Uh, didn't you hear me when I told Janey and Bethany earlier?'-she asks.**

"**No… I was busy trying to cool off,"-he replies- "I was just so mad at that teacher, you know? So anyway… mind telling me?"**

**Megan frowns, and thinks about how to tell him. She says- "You'll think it's silly. But… I've been to that camp before… in my dreams…"**

**Jefferson gets up, and he gives Megan an incredulous and quizzical look. She sighs, and continues- "I… just have this gut feeling, you know?"**

"**You have no idea what you'll find there,"-he says. His voice sounds rather annoyed. She gets up.**

"**No… you're right, I don't,"-she answers him. She places her hands in her pockets, and looks away- "I know… But I have to go there… I HAVE to, Jeff!"**

"**You don't even know what you'll find there!"-Jefferson is slightly angry now- "You're just following a hunch!?"**

"**Yes! Okay!?"-Megan says, defensively- "I am following a hunch. For the past three days, that's what I've been doing… following a stupid hunch!"**

**Jefferson tries to cool himself off. He is just so angry. Then he says- "That's… just stupid! I mean… damn!"**

"**You think it's stupid!?'-Megan is also angry now- "You haven't seen my dreams! You don't know how they feel…How REAL they feel!"**

"**Dreams aren't real,"-he says- "They're figments of our imaginations. Megan…"**

"**Don't 'Megan' me, mister!"-She starts raising her voice- "I'm going to Camp Wawanakwa, and that is that! I KNOW I'll find something there… and I don't care what you say!"**

"**I say you're wasting your time!"-he says with a raised voice.**

**She looks at him with the angriest gaze she had ever given him. Megan had never been this angry with Jefferson before… or with anyone. As she tightens her fists, she composes herself.**

"**Fine… I'm going to Camp Wawanakwa… alone,"-she says, turning her back to him- "You go back home… you momma's boy!!!"**

**As she starts running, Jefferson's anger ignites once again.**

"**Oh yeah!? Well… you're just some… flat chested girl!!!"-He yells at her, hoping she heard him. She actually did, and it hurt.**

"**Wow, Jefferson. I had no idea you could be such a jerk,"-says Tyler. He had been hearing the whole ordeal.**

"**Leave me alone!!!"-Jefferson punches a street post, and walks off in the opposite direction. Tyler shakes his head in disappointment.**

"**I expected better from you, Jefferson,"-Tyler says- "I really did."**

**Tyler sighs, checks his watch, and steps back inside Beth's apartment. He decided he will not allow Jefferson back in until he apologized. He sits down on the table, and finds himself reminiscing about old times…**

"_**Tyler,"-Katie looks at him with sadness in her eyes- "I'm sorry, but, it's over."**_

"_**Katie, come on,"- Tyler says with tears forming in his eyes- "You mean the world to me. Come on, we can work it out, I promise!"**_

"_**No, Tyler!"-Katie is crying now- "I can't… I can't be with you anymore! I want to have a life, too… I can't be with a runaway…"**_

"_**Katie… I can give you a life!"-Tyler pleads- "I can…"**_

"_**Tyler…"-Katie tries to wipe her tears away- "the next time I see you… I hope you've become a man."**_

_**As Katie leaves, Tyler bangs his fists on the floor. Tears stream down on his face, as he tries to endure his broken heart.**_

**Tyler snaps out of his flashback, and shakes his head. He sighs. He sees Beth, and says- "Beth… I gotta go find Megan, ok? Do me a favor, don't let Jefferson in until I bring her back, ok?"**

**Beth nods her head, but wonders why she should not allow Jefferson into her home. Tyler steps outside, and runs in the direction Megan went. Janey had opted to step out of her room at that time.**

"**Where's Mister Jameson going?"-she asks.**

"**To find Megan,"-Beth replies. Upon hearing that Megan was lost, Janey bolts after Tyler.**

**Meanwhile…**

**Megan was sitting on a bench. Her anger, however, was not subsiding. In fact, the more she thought about Jefferson, the angrier she got. Trying to vent her anger, she starts thinking about happier times… **

_**Seven year old Megan was looking at the tadpoles that swam in the puddle. Fascinated by their movement, she picks up a twig, and gently places it in the puddle. Her uncle Damien then walks up to her.**_

"_**Hey sweetie, how are you?"-he asks.**_

"_**Hi uncle,"-she replies, giving him a hug- "Look! Tadpoles…"**_

"_**Yeah…"-Damien looks at the tadpoles along with her. He caresses her hair, savoring the moment.**_

_**The night before had been quite the rainy night. Though the thunder was quite loud, Damien was awed by the fact that Megan had managed to sleep so soundly. He chuckles, and then sighs.**_

"_**Little Megan… you aren't so little anymore,"-Damien says to his niece. She looks at him, and beams him a smile- "You're getting to be a big girl."**_

"_**Of course, uncle!"-she replies- "I'm already seven and a half!"**_

_**Damien laughs. He finds it so cute when children count their ages by halves…**_

**Megan's anger was vanishing, bit by bit. However, she was still reasonably mad.**

**Meanwhile…**

**Jefferson just walked. Trying to cool off, he found himself unable to let go of his anger. He looks around him. Seeing nobody, he punches a wall. As he reels in pain, he thinks back to an earlier, simpler time…**

_**Nine year old Jefferson was reading a book. Bridgette comes in, and collapses on the couch. As she tries to relax from all her exhaustion, Jefferson walks over to her. He pats her shoulder, trying to comfort his mother.**_

"_**Jefferson, honey,"-she looks at her son- "Why aren't you outside, playing with the other kids? It's a Saturday, right?"**_

"_**Yeah, mom,"-he replies- "But I don't like the other kids. They're stupid."**_

"_**Jefferson! Why do you say that!?"-Bridgette is shocked.**_

"_**Because,"-Jefferson explains- "They just care about toys, and candy, and TV and video games."**_

"_**But son, that's normal,"-Bridgette tries to reason with her son.**_

"_**I hate those things,"-Jefferson replies- "There are more important things in life."**_

"_**But honey,"-Bridgette tried to explain to her son why he should play with the other kids.**_

"_**Mom, you're tired, right?"-Jefferson looks at his mother sympathetically- "Take a break, ok? Don't worry, I won't make noise."**_

_**Bridgette would have preferred seeing her son go out to play and forget about how she felt. Why didn't Jefferson socialize more?**_

**Jefferson snaps out of his flashback. His fist still hurts, because he hit the wall too hard. Suddenly, he hears himself say those ugly words: 'flat chested'. Jefferson tries to shake it off. He hears himself again say 'flat chested'.**

"**Man… screw this!"-Jefferson tried to think of a way to go back to his house. He didn't want to deal with anyone anymore. Suddenly, he feels as if someone slaps his head.**

"**Ow! Who's there!?"-He looks around. No one is there. He breathes in…**

**Back with Megan…**

**Megan just couldn't shake off her anger. Tried as she might, she was still furious at Jefferson. She looks at her chest, and pounds the bench she was sitting on with her fist.**

"**Dumb jerk,"-she says to herself- "I'm not…"**

**She starts to tear up. Her fist hurts. She suddenly hears someone coming. She looks to see who it is. It's Ryan.**

"**Oh, hey Ryan,"-she greets him halfheartedly.**

"**Hey Meg!"-he greets her enthusiastically. His face falls when he sees how upset she seems- "What's wrong?"**

"**Nothing,"-she lies- "Hey… am I flat chested?"**

**Ryan blinks. Then he blinks again. Then his jaw drops. Then he says- "No, of course not! Why… you're boobs are nicer than…"**

**She cuts him off, and says- "The truth!"**

**Ryan stammers, and says- "Why? The truth's overrated, the truth's nothing, the truth's crap, the truth makes me sick!"**

**Megan gives him her angry glare. Ryan gulps, and says- "You'll hate me… your chest is a very modest B cup. It's bordering between an A and a B cup, ok?"**

"**I know that,"-she says.**

"**Well… to be flat chested, you need either a AA cup or just an A cup,"-he says- "Otherwise, you don't count as flat."**

"**But my chest is still small,"-she says. He gulps again, and starts to sweat bullets.**

**Back at Jefferson…**

"**Ow! Darn it…"-Jefferson looks around him. Once again, he sees no one. He opts to sit down. He asks himself- "Why do I feel like I'm getting slapped upside my head?"**

**Jefferson sits down on the ground. He sighs, and covers his head with his hands. He thinks about what he should do. Then he starts thinking about that fight he had with Megan earlier. Suddenly, he finds that thinking about that doesn't make him angry anymore. Rather, it makes him feel ashamed.**

"**Shit,"-he says to himself- "I could have handled that one better."**

**He starts thinking about all the things he said to Megan. He shakes his head in disgust with himself. He rubs his eyes in disappointment with how he yelled at her. Then, he thinks back to the last thing he said to her.**

"**Man, what the hell was I thinking!?"-he says to himself- "I mean… calling her flat chested? That was really uncalled for!"**

**He walks back towards where he left Megan. As he walks along the sidewalk, he remembers how he once promised himself he would never make a girl cry. **

"**Shit,"-Jefferson kicks a can he finds on the sidewalk- "I can't believe what I did… I need to find Megan, and apologize to her!" **

**Meanwhile…**

"**Jefferson!? Don't ask me about that jerk!"-Megan yells at Ryan, crossing her arms.**

"**Ok, ok!"-Ryan says- "I'm sorry."**

"**No, don't apologize,"-Megan says- "Listen… I'm heading off to Camp Wawanakwa… alone. Tell Mister Jameson that I'm sorry, ok? I just… I don't want to waste anyone's time with something so stupid."**

"**But Meg!"-Ryan protests- "The reason you have to visit Wawanakwa isn't stupid!"**

"**Yes it is!"-Megan pounds her fists into his chest. It didn't hurt him, though. She continues- "It's so stupid… I mean… I'm taking a three day trip to some place… just because I saw it in my dreams!"**

"**No!"-Ryan protests- "You're taking a three day trip to some place where you meet your dead mother in your dreams!"**

"**That's… even stupider,"-Megan says. She starts to cry. **

"**No… it's not,"-says Tyler, who had heard the whole thing- "Meg… I know why you think it's important to go there. I'll still take you there, Meg. Don't worry."**

"**But Mister Jameson…"-Megan doesn't know what to say.**

"**Meg… there are things we do because they feel like the right thing to do,"-Tyler explains- "Sure… using logical reasoning, we find that the things we do are stupid. But…"**

"**Mister Jameson…"-Megan says- "I can't let you waste your time with me… not with this…"**

"**Ha ha, this is the flapjack test all over again,"-Tyler says, laughing- "Meg, just take my help, ok? And don't worry about what Jefferson said."**

**Ryan felt curious about what Jefferson had said that made Megan so upset. However, he opted not to press the issue. That was when Janey had arrived.**

"**Meg! What happened?"-Janey says, between huffs.**

"**Janey…"-Megan looks away- "I'm heading off to Camp Wawanakwa…"**

"**I'm coming too!"-Janey says with full determination- "I can't let my friend go there by herself!"**

"**Janey… you should go back to your parents. Don't make them worry,"-Megan says.**

"**Mom and dad will understand,"-Janey says- "Megan, please. I can't let you go off alone!"**

**Tyler places a hand on Megan's shoulder, and says- "You're stuck with us, Meg."**

"**Okay,"-Megan is in tears now, but they are tears of joy- "Ok! We're heading off to Camp Wawanakwa… the three of us…"**

"**So…"-Ryan thinks about what to say- "Hey… I'll stay here. Don't worry Janey, I'll tell Bethany all about how you went off on your own, ok?"**

"**Ryan,"-Janey hugs him- "Try to win her over, ok?"**

"**You're giving me permission!?"-Ryan jumps into the air- "Sweet!"**

"**Thank you, all three of you. Ryan, thank you for being my friend,"-Megan says- "See you later, ok?"**

**Tyler brings his car over, and they leave. Ryan waves goodbye to them, until the car is long gone. Unbeknownst to Megan, Ryan had another reason to stay behind…**

**A half hour had passed. Ryan had made his way to Beth's house…**

"**So, Bethany… that's why your sister left,"-Ryan explains to Bethany. She is in shock. She looks outside the window, a sad look on her face.**

"**Heather… you've changed,"-Bethany says, sadly- "Why didn't she come back for me? She never goes anywhere without me…"**

"**Janey is growing up,"-Beth says, comforting her goddaughter. That was when a knock is heard on the door.**

"**I'll get it,"-Ryan offers. He opens the door, and says- "Hey Jefferson."**

"**Is… is Megan here?"-Jefferson is hanging his head in shame- "I need to talk to her." **

"**You want to apologize to her,"-Ryan says- "Am I right?"**

**Jefferson is shocked. He says- "How did you know that?"**

"**Long story short, she got mad when I said your name,"-Ryan explains- "She also seemed sad about something. I just put two and two together."**

"**So… is she here?"-Jefferson asks.**

"**No dude,"-Ryan looks at Jefferson neutrally- "She left about a half hour ago. She's on her way to Camp Wawanakwa."**

**Jefferson, upon hearing that, sits on the ground and hangs his head in defeat. Bethany sees this, and walks over to him. She places a comforting hand on his shoulder. Ryan also sits down besides Bethany.**

"**Now what will you do?"-Ryan asks Jefferson.**


	20. Chapter 20

Sins of the Mother

Episode 19: A decision

"Now what will you do?"-asks Ryan. As Jefferson lays his head in defeat, he thinks back to his youth…

"_Momma?"-Four year old Jefferson hears his mother cry. He calls out to her, but she doesn't hear him. As Jefferson looks at his crying mother, his heart breaks. He enters her room, climbs up her bed, and hugs his mother._

"_Jefferson?"-Bridgette is surprised to see her son._

"_Momma, why are you crying?"-Jefferson asks._

"_Nothing, honey. Don't worry about it,"-Bridgette tries to reassure her son. She hugs him back, and strokes his hair._

_Eight year old Jefferson was sitting in his room, alone. He could clearly hear his mother cry… again. She always cries at around this time of year._

"_Mom…"-Jefferson thinks to himself- "You're crying… because of what my father did to you…"_

_As she continues crying, Jefferson's anger seethes. He clenches his teeth, as he starts thinking about his father._

"_Father abandoned you…"-he says to himself- "I hate him…"_

Jefferson thinks about who he is. Bethany looks at him with a sympathetic look. He remembers the day he made his oath…

_Seven year old Jefferson is sitting alone in the park. He looks at his mother, who seems to have her eyes closed. He sees DJ has his arm around her. Today was the one year anniversary since Geoff died._

"_Father…"-he thinks to himself- "I… I won't ever make a girl cry. Not like you did…"_

Meanwhile…

Megan sat on the backseat of Tyler's car. She had asked to. As Tyler drove, Janey thinks about something.

"Megan…"-she says- "It will be ok. You're going to find what you're looking for, don't worry."

Megan does not respond. She simply looks out the window, thinking about a certain day…

_As fifteen year old Megan played with her yo-yo, 18 year old Jefferson read his book._

"_So… you won't go to college just yet?"-Megan asks._

"_I can't afford it,"-he responds- "So… I'll have to get a job."_

"_I'm sorry to hear that,"-she says to him- "Hey, watch this!"_

_She spins her yo-yo around her. As she finishes, she reels it in neatly. _

"_Nice!"-Jefferson says, smiling._

"_Yeah, it's called 'Around the World'. It's a pretty awesome trick,"-she says._

"_It is,"-he responds- "Hey, I think I'll take that job over at that store."_

"_Aren't there any other jobs?"-she asks- "You know, that pay more?"_

"_Not at the moment, no,"-he replies- "At least not ones I can qualify for."_

"_Oh,"-she looks at her yo-yo again. She throws it, and reels it in. And again, and again. Suddenly, she says- "Hey, how was your graduation ceremony?"_

"_I didn't go,"-he replies._

"_Why not?"-she asks, surprised._

"_Didn't feel like it,"-he replies._

"_But, it was your graduation!"-she protests- "Why wouldn't you go!?"_

"_I just didn't feel like it,"-he replies._

"_But…"-she continues, but he interrupts._

"_Had I gone, no one would have congratulated me,"-he says- "I didn't make any friends in school. I didn't want my mom to have to be the only parent in the ceremony to have a kid no one else cared about…"_

"_But… why didn't you make friends?"-she asks, shocked- "After all, you're the nicest guy I know."_

"_I just don't relate to others well,"-he replies- "That's why I think… getting a job will be hard."_

"_Everything will be fine, Jeff,"-she assures him with her smile- "I'll help in any way I can."_

"_Thank you, Megan,"-he replies, smiling, and touching her arm- "You're a good friend."_

As she remembers that day, she sighs to herself. In many ways, she wishes she could go back to those days… when all she felt for Jefferson was friendship.

Back at Toronto…

"Hey, Ryan,"-Bethany says, in all seriousness- "Let me have a minute with Jefferson."

Ryan raises his eyebrow at Bethany. He looks at her suspiciously, and says- "No way."

"Hey!"-She says- "I asked you politely!"

"Yeah,"-he replies- "But…I don't want to leave his side until he gives me an answer: What the hell is he gonna do?"

She glares at him. He stands his ground.

"Ryan,"-Jefferson says- "Let me have this minute, ok?"

Ryan looks at Jefferson with absolute anger. He tightens his fists, grits his teeth, and says- "Fine"

As he leaves, Ryan says under his breath- "Dumb ass."

"Jeffy?"-Bethany is blushing madly- "Can I… be honest with you?"

"Sure,"-Jefferson still keeps his head low.

"I,"-she is blushing, but she caresses her breasts, and looks at Jefferson lovingly- "I… I love you."

Jefferson looks up at her, shocked. She sits next to him, and continues- "I've loved you for a while now."

Bethany blushes madly as she recounts the day she fell in love with Jefferson…

_Thirteen year old Bethany was walking down the streets. Because Janey had a fever, she had volunteered to get her some cough drops from the local store. She enters the store, and goes to get the drops. That was when some teenage boys started heckling her._

"_Well, well, well,"-says the ring leader- "What's your name, pretty girl?"_

"_Uh,"-she's nervous- "Sorry… I don't talk to strangers."_

"_Really? Come on,"-says the thuggish one- "I mean, we're not strangers. We're just friends you haven't met, yet."_

"_Yeah, I mean, come on,"-says the fat one- "We just want to know your name… and address, and if you're single…"_

"_Hey!"-Jefferson calls out their attention- "You leave that girl alone!"_

"_Yeah?'-the leader says, trying to seem tough- "What ya gonna do if I don't?"_

_Jefferson cracks his knuckles. The three teens start to get a bit nervous. Jefferson's icy glare is enough to unnerve them. His overall presence, however, is far too intimidating to stand up against. The three teens leave the store, opting not to fight._

"_You ok?"-Jefferson asks. Bethany looks at her savior, and suddenly feels her heart skip a beat. _

"_Thank you,"-she says- "My name is Bethany. Yours?"_

_Jefferson turns away. Then he remembers what Megan had said to him, about trying to be more personable. So, he responds- "Jefferson."_

_Bethany smiles at her savior. She suddenly feels different. She starts getting butterflies in her stomach. As she pays for the drops, and leaves, she looks back one last time, at her first crush…_

Jefferson nods his head, remembering that incident. Bethany starts stroking his hair.

"Jefferson…"-she says, trembling with anticipation- "Just…"

She kisses him on the lips. He is to shocked to do anything about it. He closes his eyes, and loses himself to her sweet kiss. Suddenly, an image flashes in his heart.

"_Megan,"-he thinks to himself. He sees her, kneeling in pain, crying her eyes out. His heart feels like its getting ripped apart because of this sight. He tries to go to her, to comfort her. But, he can't reach her. No matter how much he tries, he can't reach her. He kneels down in despair, unable to do anything. Suddenly, he sees another vision._

"_Bethany,"-he says to himself. Bethany is laughing. She's wearing her best tank top and shorts. She looks so beautiful. Jefferson goes over to her, then stops. He looks around him._

"_Megan!"-he continues to hear her cry. He's getting desperate- "Where are you!?"_

_Jefferson continues to search for her. Bethany grabs his arm. She looks at him with those sweet eyes of hers. But, all Jefferson can think about is Megan…_

Jefferson opens his eyes, and sees Bethany is right in front of him, smiling. He gets up.

"Bethany,"-he starts- "I'm sorry… my heart belongs to another."

Bethany's smile disappears. Her eyes start to water.

"I'm not pretty enough,"-she says, as she begins to sob.

"It's not that,"-he says- "It's just that… I love someone else."

"But why!?"-she is in tears now, sobbing- "Why can't it be me!?"

"It's not you,"-he says- "It's… uh…"

"Aren't I good enough?"-Tears stream down her face- "What does she have that I don't?"

"She saved me,"-he says- "Before she came along, I was a loner. No, I was friendless, someone who made himself miserable. Before Megan came into my life, I didn't know what happiness was. She got me out of my shell…"

"Megan!?"-she is surprised- "So… what about me?"

"Bethany,"-he looks at her. Suddenly, his heart sees Megan's image again. He then says- "You're beautiful too. And kind, and sweet. Your sister thinks the world of you. I think that sort of thing is important. It's not that you're not good enough. I'm the one who's not good enough."

"Huh?"-she is surprised to hear him say that.

"I… I don't deserve Megan,"-he admits- "I… I yelled at her today. My God, the things I said to her… I won't blame her if she never forgave me. I wouldn't blame her if she hated me for the rest of her life. I'm just… some dumb ass who can't keep his oath."

"No you're not,"-Bethany says, drying her tears- "You're the best guy I've ever met. You care about people, even when you don't show it. I know lots of guys who make girls cry without giving it a second thought. You're the exact opposite of those guys. It's… why I love you."

"Bethany,"-he hugs her- "I promise you. Some day, when you're older, you're gonna meet a guy. And that guy will be the man who will take good care of you, who will never try to make you cry, and will do everything it takes to make it up to you when he accidentally does. That man is the kind of man you deserve, Bethany."

"You've just described yourself, you know?'-she smiles at him, though her tears are still running down her face.

"No…"-he looks away- "I'm not that guy…"

"Yes you are!"-she protests- "I mean… you did tell her you were sorry, right?"

"I wanted to,"-he sighs- "But she had already left…"

"Oh,"-she looks down on her feet. She places her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. She says- "So… what will you do now?"

Jefferson breathes in. Suddenly, Megan's image flashes in front of his heart once more. He suddenly sees what he needs to do. He gets up.

"Is that even a question!?"-he says- "You and I both know what I will do! I'm going to Camp Wawanakwa, and I'm gonna get on my knees and I am gonna BEG her to forgive me!"

"Good answer,"-Ryan pops up from behind Bethany- "It's exactly the answer I was hoping for."

"You were listening in on us!?"-Bethany asks him, shocked and angry.

"Yes I was,"-he says with a smirk- "I saw Megan leave. The reason I stayed behind, Jefferson, was because I saw how upset she was. I knew you screwed up big time. I stayed behind to make sure you would apologize to her."

"Why?"-Bethany asks.

"I like Megan too,"-he says- "She's the first girl to see me not as some jerk, but as a nice guy. I… I like her a lot… But… she loves you, Jefferson! I don't have a chance with her… But I still want to do something for her!"

"I understand,"-Jefferson says.

"You jerk!!!!"-Ryan says, his voice raised- "Is that all you're gonna say!? You're not gonna try and punch me!? You're not gonna see me as a threat!? You're just gonna take Megan's feelings for granted!?"

"No,"- Jefferson replies- "I won't punch you. I respect you too much for that… You could have gone with her. Tried to conquer her heart… you had every right to do that. Instead… you chose to help me get a second chance. Yes, you are a threat… because you deserve her more than I do."

Ryan steps back. His anger was slowly disappearing. He places his hands in his pockets, and kicks the ground.

"How will you get to Camp Wawanakwa?"-Bethany asks.

"I… don't know,"-Jefferson replies- "But I'll walk if I have to."

"I'll come with you,"-Bethany says- "I don't want you to be alone."

"Thank you, Bethany,"-he smiles at her- "Can I… can I consider you my friend?"

"You don't even need to ask,"-she says to him. They hug each other.

"There's no bus that will get you there,"-Ryan says- "And I don't have a car…"

"Well then,"-Jefferson looks at the horizon- "Looks like I'm walking! Bethany… you don't have to come. Stay here, ok? This will be a very, very long walk."

"You can go with Duncan,"-Ryan offers- "He's going to that camp too. He's my Godfather, in case you ask."

"Ryan,"-Jefferson looks at him, and walks over to him- "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah,"-Ryan says- "The two of you have fun, ok?"

Suddenly, Ryan sees Jefferson offering his hand. Jefferson says- "You're a good man, Ryan. Much better than I am… I'll miss you…"

Ryan looks at Jefferson, and shakes his hand. Bethany looks at Ryan, and says- "Hey… uh…"

"Yeah?"-Ryan asks.

"About how you saved me yesterday,"-Bethany blushes- "Thank you."

"Hey, no problem,"-Ryan smiles at her.

"Ryan…"-Bethany thinks for a second, and says- "Come with us."

"Huh?"- He's shocked.

"It will be a better trip if you're there, with us,"-she says. Jefferson nods his head in agreement.

"My mom will be super busy with that case of yours, Bethany. And Trent is out of town right now,"-Ryan says- "What the hey! I'm in!"

"Ok then!"-Jefferson says- "When does Duncan leave for Wawanakwa?"

"I'll ask him,"-Ryan says- "He usually works the night shift."

"Thank you,"-says Jefferson- "I owe you. Big time."

"Hey,"-Ryan smiles- "What are friends for?"

"Huh?"-Jefferson is surprised- "You and I… are friends?"

"Sure! I mean, why not?"-Ryan pats Jefferson's shoulder. Jefferson smiles, and returns the gesture. Bethany herself is happy for Jefferson.

"Jefferson, I still love you,"-Bethany thinks to herself- "And because of that… I will do whatever it takes to reunite you with Megan."

"Mom,"-Jefferson thinks to himself- "I'm sorry I disappointed you. But… I will apologize to Megan. Whatever it takes… I WILL apologize to her!"


	21. Chapter 21

Sins of the Mother

Episode 20: Regrets, redemptions.

It was nearly 10 PM. Tyler drove on, whilst Janey looked on ahead, helping to keep an eye on the road.

"You girls don't listen to music?'-Tyler asks- "I mean, not once through this whole trip did you girls ask to turn on the radio."

"It's ok, Mister Jameson,"-said Janey- "I actually like the quiet of the night."

Megan did not reply. She just kept on looking out the window.

"Mister Jameson,"-she suddenly said- "I'm sorry… I'm just…"

"Still thinking about what Jefferson said?"-he asks.

"No,"-she replies- "Kind of… yeah."

"Hey, don't think about that,"-Tyler says- "He…"

"I just…"-she interrupts him- "I mean… what if he's right? What if taking this trip was a waste of time?"

"It wasn't,"-Tyler replies- "And once this trip is over, you'll know why."

"Mister Jameson,"-she's starting to tear up- "I just feel so bad… I mean, how much money did you needlessly spend on me? And on Janey, and Bethany… and…?"

"Zero,"-Tyler says- "That's how much money I needlessly spent on you guys. Zero dollars and zero cents. Every dollar I spent on this trip, I spent them doing what was right. Because I knew you had to take this trip."

"But,"-she's crying now.

"Megan, I ever tell you why I ran away?"-he asks.

"No,"-she replies.

"My dad, all I ever wanted to do was make him proud of me,"-Tyler says- "When I thought I couldn't do that… I just lost sight of who I was, what I wanted. So… I ran away from home."

"What happened?"-Janey asks, surprised to hear that story.

"Well,"-he replies- "I stayed at the Toronto Steps Hostel for over eight years. Yeah, that hostel we went to two nights past, remember? Well… I stayed there…avoiding my problem."

"My God,"-Megan says- "Why?"

"I didn't want to deal with the fact that all my life was just one big failure,"-Tyler says- "And that all I my efforts were in vane."

"So… what happened after those eight years?'-Janey asks.

"Well,"-Tyler sighs- "Sam and I were… well, together. But one day, I had a dream. More like a nightmare, really. I was being chased by this giant chicken. It just kept trying to peck my eyes out! And I kept running away from it. But no matter how hard I tried to run, it always ganged up on me. So, in my dream, I simply got tired of running. I decided to turn around, and face that chicken. That's when I woke up."

"Why a giant chicken?"-asks Janey.

"Oh… when I was a kid, I got pecked in the face by a chicken,"-Tyler explains- "Been scared of them since."

"Oh,"-Janey says- "So what happened after that?"

"Well, I took that dream as a sign,"-Tyler narrates- "And went back home. I confronted my dad. I told him that the only reason I ever did sports was to make him proud of me… He told me that… he was always proud of me… because I tried and never gave up… and when he found out what happened the day I decided to quit sports, he said he sympathized with my decision… He died a month later…"

Tyler sighs to himself, as the two girls remain stunned over what they had learned.

Meanwhile…

"Jefferson?"-Bethany grabs his arm- "Before we go… may I please say goodbye to mommy and daddy?"

"Sure, Beth,"-Jefferson replies, smiling.

"Wait for me, ok?"-Bethany begins to leave- "Don't leave me behind!"

"Hey Jefferson,"-Ryan asks- "How long you loved her?"

"I've loved Megan for a while now,"-Jefferson responds, looking up at the sky- "But I've only admitted that to myself recently."

"Really?"-Ryan says, sitting down on the bench- "So, why didn't you see it before?"

"Well,"-Jefferson sighs, and looks down on the ground- "I'm so short sighted… I didn't see what I had until reality came crashing to me."

"Huh?"-Ryan gives Jefferson a quizzical look.

"She confessed to me first,"-Jefferson kicks the ground- "And I, like the idiot I am, told her I didn't have the time for a relationship."

"Dude!"-Ryan raises his arms- "Dumb move, dude!"

"I agree,"-Jefferson sighs. He sits down- "So, anyway… I can't lose her."

"Oh?"-Ryan looks at him with a disbelieving look- "I'm just saying, you have a backup girl in Bethany."

"I know,"-Jefferson says- "But losing Megan, to me, is like losing everything that gives me a reason to be me. If I lose her, I lose my very first friend, the first person to ever try to get me out of my shell, the only person in the world to ever make me laugh… If I lose her…"

"Dude,"-Ryan sits next to him- "That's deep, dude."

"Yeah,"-Jefferson breathes in, and exhales- "She's beautiful, isn't she?'

"Heck yeah,"-Ryan smirks- "Those Asian features of hers, that long, feathery hair. Dude, I can't blame ya for falling in love with her!"

"Yeah,"-Jefferson chuckles a bit- "She's also spunky, determined, kinda bull headed sometimes. But she's so down to Earth, so kind and gentle, yet so tough and independent. Dude… She could be the one…"

Jefferson looks up at the sky again, a slight blush on his face. Ryan relaxes for a bit, and looks at the Moon. He says- "That's what Duncan says about Aunt Gwen, and what Trent says about mom. Dude… what you got for Meg is legit."

"Thank you,"-Jefferson says, blushing more.

"You called her flat chested,"-Ryan says.

"I didn't mean a word of it,"-Jefferson responds- "But please… if you feel like you have to, go ahead and punch me."

Ryan punches Jefferson in the jaw. This knocks him off the bench, and lands him on the floor. Jefferson gets up, rubs his jaw, and sits back on his spot. He says- "I would have liked it if you held back slightly. But I must admit, I deserved that."

"Yep,"-Ryan smirks- "And I hope Meg kicks ya in the crotch."

Both boys begin to laugh. As the crickets began to chirp, the stars twinkled in the sky.

"So dude,"-Ryan says- "Me and Janey discussed our favorite songs this afternoon. Just curious, but… what's Meg's favorite song?"

"She has three,"-Jefferson replies- "The first is 'Hey Sandy' by Polaris. The second is 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana. And her third is 'Uptown Girl' by Billy Joel."

"Nice choices"-says Ryan- "Lot of variety there. Meg's got good taste. What about you?"

"I never really liked music much,"-says Jefferson- "But, one day, I heard a song that I just simply fell in love with."

"Cool, which one?"-Ryan asks.

"I don't know the name, just the lyrics,"-Jefferson responds. He starts singing:

_I'm standing in the rain_

_I'm waiting in the dark_

_I thought that you'd be here, by now._

_There's nothing but the rain_

_No footsteps on the ground_

_I'm listening but there's no sound._

_Isn't anyone trying to find me?_

_Won't somebody come take me home?_

_It's a damn cold night!_

_Trying to figure out this life!_

_Won't you, take me by the hand, take me somewhere new?_

_I don't know who you are, but I_

_I'm with you._

"I know the song,"-says Ryan- "It's 'I'm with you' by Avril Lavigne."

"Yeah,"-Jefferson says- "I love that song. It reminds me of the day I fell in love with Megan."

"Well now!"-Ryan says- "There's a story I need to hear!"

Jefferson begins to narrate…

"_Thank you for helping me study, Jeff,"-Megan says, blushing, as she and Jefferson walk her school's halls._

"_Hey, no problem,"- he responds- "I leave for my college hunting trip next week. I figure I may as well help ya out while I can."_

"_Humph! Don't get cocky, I only asked for your help so I… never mind,"-Megan sighs. As they exit the door, they finally notice something- "It's raining!"_

"_Should have brought my umbrella,"-Jefferson sighs, and rubs the back of his head._

"_It's a bit past sundown, too,"-Megan says, checking her watch- "This sucks."_

"_Not so much,"-Jefferson responds- "We could be in the middle of this rain, instead of out of it."_

"_Yeah,"-Megan says- "This reminds me of this song I got on my player."_

"_Really?"-Jefferson asks- "May I hear it?" _

"_Sure!"-Megan takes out her music player, and lends an him an earphone- "Like it?"_

_As the song finishes, Jefferson nods his head in approval- "It was beautiful."_

_Megan nods her head in agreement. As he thinks about the song, he looks over at Megan. Suddenly, he didn't see the fourteen year old he befriended two years ago. He sees the beautiful woman she had blossomed into. For some reason, he feels anxious about something, as if he wants to hold her. That was when Bridgette had arrived._

"_Jefferson!"-She calls out- "I saw it rained, and I didn't know if you had an umbrella, so I came by and brought you… Oh, hello Megan!"_

_Bridgette smiles at the girl. It's odd to see her like that. Jefferson thanks his mother for the umbrella, and gets in her car. Megan also gets in the car, as Bridgette offers her a ride home. During the whole ride, Jefferson tries to analyze his new feelings._

Bethany had finally arrived, accompanied by her father.

"Hey guys! Good news!"-She says- "Daddy said he'll take us to Camp Wawanakwa! We don't need to bother that nice police officer!"

"I just didn't like the idea of my baby girl going alone with two boys on a trip towards an old summer camp"-Cody says with a chuckle- "So, Lindsay and I agreed that I take you kids there!"

"Hey, dude! Who you calling kids, eh!?"-Ryan says, smirking.

"Bethany told me the whole story, Jefferson,"-Cody says- "I'll be happy to help."

"Thank you, sir,"-says Jefferson- "It means a lot to me."

"Bethany is riding shotgun,"-Cody says, crossing his arms- "And that is not negotiable."

Ryan rubs the back of his head. He WAS going to ask if he could sit next to Bethany.

Meanwhile, back at home…

"Clyde?"-Susan says groggily- "It's almost midnight. Why are you up?"

"Oh, no reason,"-Clyde responds- "I'm just worried about Megan, is all."

"Me too,"-Susan says with a sigh- "But she called us earlier today, remember? She's fine."

"I know,"-Clyde says- "Honey… I think we made a mistake… not telling her about Heather."

"I agree,"-Susan gets up- "I don't think we have an excuse for what we did."

"Yeah,"-Clyde says, feeling sadder still- "You know, sometimes I look at Megan, and I see her mother. Sometimes I feel like Megan IS Heather."

"Me too,"-Susan replies- "Sometimes, I feel like Megan is who Heather could have been like, if we were better parents."

"Yeah,"-Clyde sighs- "I wonder sometimes, is Heather happy with us, the way we raised her daughter? Or does she hate us for the way we neglected her when she was still alive?"

"I don't know, Clyde,"-Susan rests her head on his shoulder- "I know we'll have a lot to answer for when we meet up with her."

Meanwhile, over at Beth's…

"Beth?"-Lindsay sighs to herself- "My babies aren't babies anymore."

"Gee, Lindsay,"-Beth says- "I remember when they were still in your belly… that never seemed so long ago until tonight."

"That look on Bethany's face,"-Lindsay keeps her head on Beth's table- "That determination… that maturity… my two little girls are becoming little women."

"Is that why you let her go?"-Beth asks.

"Yeah,"-Lindsay responds- "I hope… I have to wait a long, long while before I see Bethany leave our home to become independent…"

"Lindsay…"-Beth looks at her best friend with sympathy.

"I kind of wanted to always be able to clean her room. To read her stories before bedtime, to cook pancakes for breakfast for her, to bake her cookies…"-Lindsay starts to cry- "Now… It won't be long until she starts college…"

"That's still four years from now!"-Beth says- "And don't forget, Janey herself has to wait five years before she starts college."

"But she starts High School next year,"-Lindsay says- "I don't have little girls anymore, Beth."

Back at Tyler's car…

Tyler turned on the radio. A song begins to play:

_Always wanting you!_

_But never having you_

_Sometimes hurts me_

_Almost more than I can stand._

_I'd been better off if I had looked away, and never looked at you, again_

_Cuz I really had my life altogether, till your eyes met mine!_

"Country music is not so bad,"-Janey says- "It might be American, but it's alright."

"Hey now!"-Tyler says, chuckling- "America produces good music too! Sometimes."

"What an ironic song,"-Megan thinks to herself- "I wonder… if I would have been happier never knowing Jefferson…"


	22. Chapter 22

Sins of our Mothers

Episode 21: Stars in the night.

Tyler stopped the car at a motel. He was a bit tired, and it was almost midnight. It just seemed like the sensible thing to do.

"So, mister Jameson,"-asks Janey- "Uh…"

"Yeah?"-Tyler looks at her.

"Well, I…"-Janey seems nervous- "I kind of forgot to tell mommy and daddy goodbye."

"Well now,"-Tyler rubs his chin- "You'll have to call them tomorrow, am I right?"

"Well, yeah,"-Janey says- "But I doubt mommy and daddy have gone to sleep already. Maybe they're still working on Bethany's case?"

"That's plausible,"-says Tyler- "Wow, your mom and dad have changed from when I knew them."

"Yeah,"-Janey says- "They are much more adult now."

"Ah! So you've seen the show?"-Tyler asks.

"Yep!"-Janey nods her head- "Bethany hasn't, though. She hates reality shows. I've only watched it because it's funny seeing mommy and daddy as teenagers."

"Ha ha, yeah,"-Tyler chuckles a bit- "Man, those were good times."

"They didn't seem so good to me!"-Janey protests- "I would never join such a show in my life! No amount of money is worth what you guys went through!"

"Yup,"-Tyler ruffles her hair a bit- "You're wise beyond your years. You're gonna be alright."

"Hey mister Jameson,"-Janey stammers a bit- "Uh, between you and me…"

"Yeah?'-Tyler lowers his head so he could hear what Janey had to say.

"Uh, well,"-Janey whispers- "Megan seems really upset. What happened to her?"

"She got in a fight with Jefferson,"-Tyler whispers back- "Don't butt in, ok? When two people fight… it's sometimes better to give them space."

"Uh, well…"-Janey stammers- "Uh… why did they fight?"

"I have no right to say why,"-Tyler says firmly- "It's between them, and only them."

"Okay,"-Janey looks away. She sees Megan looking at the sky, and says- "I wonder what she's thinking about…"

"Go ask her,"-Tyler says. Janey goes over to Megan.

"Hey Megan,"-Janey sits next to her friend- "What are ya thinking about?"

"Nothing,"-Megan replies, a sad tone in her voice.

"Oh,"-Janey looks at the stars- "Hey look! That's Mars!"

"How can you tell?"-Megan asks.

"I love astronomy, that's why,"-Janey says- "My daddy taught me all about the stars."

"Really?"-Megan smiles- "Teach me a few?"

"Okay!"-Janey smiles back- "Look! That's Ursa Major! And next to her is Ursa Minor!"

"Oh!"-Megan looks at the constellations- "So, which one's the Big Dipper?"

"I just showed you. It's Ursa Major!"-Janey says- "People call it the Big Dipper because they can't see the bear."

"You mean, the Big Dipper's a bear?"-Megan says- "I never knew."

"Yep!"-Janey smiles- "Not many people call it Ursa Major these days, though."

"Oh,"-Megan sits back down- "Hey, uh…"

"Yeah?"-Janey asks.

"What's it like?"- Megan asks- "Having a dad…"

"No one's ever asked me that…"-Janey lowers her head- "I've never thought about… not having a dad…"

"I know,"-Megan looks at the sky sadly- "But I've always wondered what it was like."

Janey did not know what to say. She just looked on at the stars.

"Hey,"-Megan says- "What are your hobbies?"

"Well… I like reading about Science, and gadgets, stuff like that,"-Janey says- "I take after daddy like that."

"That's nice,"-Megan says.

"What about you?"-Janey asks- "What are your hobbies?"

"I like playing yo-yo,"-Megan states- "I like playing sports too."

"I've never been good at sports,"-Janey says- "It's why I'm so fat."

"No, you're not,"-Megan protests, but Janey stops her.

"It's ok, Megan. I'm not ashamed of it anymore,"-Janey smiles sincerely- "I am who I am. Ryan helped me see that."

"That Ryan is such a nice guy,"-Megan blushes upon thinking of the boy- "I hope I see him again."

"You're blushing!"-Janey says excitedly- "You like him!"

"Well, not like THAT I don't,"-Megan states- "But yeah… I like him."

"He's so sweet!"-Janey gushes- "He'd make a great boyfriend for Bethany!"

"Why not for you?"-Megan asks.

"Oh!"-Janey blushes madly- "You think I should?"

"Why not?"-Megan blushes harder- "You should. He's a good kisser."

"Huh? How do you…"-Janey's eyes widen with realization- "Oh my gosh! You didn't!"

"I did,"-Megan smiles, blushing- "I kissed him."

"You have to tell me!"-Janey says.

"What's there to tell?"-Megan is bashful- "I, well… I kissed him, and he kissed me back!"

Janey squeals in delight. Megan giggles. She says- "My very first kiss."

"Oh my God!"-Janey squeals some more- "Oh my God… You should totally hook up with him!"

"No,"-Megan sighs- "I mean, he's nice and all, but… I…"

"Megan…"-Janey's smile disappears- "Do you still…"

"Yeah,"-Megan looks away- "I still love him. Even after our fight… I still love him."

"I know,"-Janey places a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder- "I understand."

"He called me flat chested,"-Megan begins to laugh, but there is still a sad tone in her voice- "He probably meant it, too."

"Wow,"-Janey looks away- "I would have punched him. Meg…"

"Yeah?"-Megan asks.

"Don't… don't let him get away with it!"-Janey says- "Next time you see him, if he's not on his knees apologizing… don't give him the time of day!"

"I've actually already decided."-Megan says- "I'll go to that camp first. If I find something… whatever it is… I'll demand an apology. If I don't… I will apologize."

"What! That's crazy!"-Janey protests- "I mean, you haven't done anything!"

"We didn't fight because he called me flat chested,"-Megan explains- "We fought, because… well… he didn't like the fact that I was following a hunch."

"But…"-Janey looks on sadly- "You…"

"See? I can't defend what I'm doing,"-says Megan- "And it hurts me… to see you, and mister Jameson waste their time with me on this."

"I can understand why you have to do what you are doing,"-Janey says- "I mean… I followed you on a hunch, too."

"Huh?"-Megan looks on.

"See… I had felt something was wrong with my sister for a long while,"-says Janey- "And, well… three days ago, when you were leaving town… I felt it. I had to go too."

"But… why?'-Megan asks- "It doesn't make any sense!"

"I know that,"-Janey says- "But look at us. If not for this trip… Bethany would never have told anyone about that Banes jerk. If not for this trip, I would have never have learned to love myself. Megan, this trip… has been wonderful to us all."

"But… What will happen to me?"-asks Megan- "I mean… what guarantee do I have that I will find what I'm looking for in Camp Wawanakwa?"

"I guess… none,"-Janey responds.

"Maybe I should go back,"-Megan sighs, feeling saddened- "Maybe I should just apologize to Jefferson, go back home…"

"No!"-Janey protests- "Not after coming all this way! Megan…"

"Hey Meg,"-Tyler says- "Am I hearing right? You wanna quit? Man, that ain't like you."

"Mister Jameson…"-Megan has no idea what to say.

"It's always darkest, just before dawn,"-Tyler says- "My mom told me that whenever I felt down. It means, things always look their bleakest, just before they get better."

"Well…"-Megan touches her arm, unsure.

"I ever tell you what happened to Courtney?"-Tyler asks.

"Who's that?"-Megan asks.

"Courtney Singh. She was from camp too,"-Tyler says- "Not the nicest person in camp, let me tell ya. Sometimes, I felt she was worse than Heather."

"Oh…"-Megan looks away.

"Well, anyway…"-Tyler begins- "She died, a few years ago, She killed herself, she… left a note. She hated how her life was going, how she treated everyone like crap. She wrote about how she hated herself, how she hated everyone alive. She was just so… angry at the world. We never found out why…"

"Mister Jameson, what does this have to do with…"-Megan asks.

"Well… suicide is like the ultimate way of saying 'I quit.' And… well,"-Tyler rubs his chin- "Sometimes, we feel like doing that. Quitting. We feel like quitting, packing it in, saying goodbye to a job half done. It seems so much easier, so much more preferable to dealing with failure."

"I know,"-Megan says- "But I'm not suicidal."

"I'm glad to hear that,"-Tyler smiles- "But what I have to say applies just the same. Quitting is never the answer. Whether it being abandoning a job half done… or suicide. You can't fold the cards, if you haven't even looked at them, yet."

Megan looks at Tyler quizzically. Suddenly, Janey gets what he wants to say. She says- "Don't give up yet, Megan. No one knows what you'll find in Camp Wawanakwa! So… we may as well see this thing through to the end!"

"Now you're catching on!"-Tyler gives Janey a thumbs up.

"I… don't know what I'll find there,"-Megan says sadly.

"We'll come with you,"-says Janey- "Even if you don't find anything, we will stand by you."

"Thank you,"-Megan starts to cry. Tyler and Janey embrace her, holding her in her darkest hour.

Meanwhile, at another motel…

Jefferson looks up at the sky. Bethany sits next to him.

"Hey Bethany,"-he says- "I… Why did you really want to go on this trip?"

"I told you, to stay beside you,"-she replied.

"Not THIS particular trip,"-he says- "I mean, the one we've been taking for the last three days or so."

"I…"-she replies- "I wanted to get away. I wanted to get away from Mister Banes… But most of all, I wanted to just run away from everything. I just felt like… I couldn't take it, you know?"

"Well,"-Jefferson looks at her- "Why didn't you come to me? Why didn't you tell me about how you felt?"

"Because…"-she feels uneasy- "A lot of the time, you just weren't available. You rarely ever gave me the time of day, remember?"

Jefferson remembered how he used to treat Bethany. He felt ashamed of that.

"I'm sorry,"-he says to her.

"I waited for you,"-says Bethany- "I waited for you to answer me, to be my hero. When I was a little girl, I always thought of daddy as my knight, you know? I liked to pretend I was a princess, and daddy was the big, strong knight who kept the dragons away."

"Ha ha, that's cute,"-Jefferson smiles.

"But then…"-Bethany blushes- "I met you. And you helped me that day. Ever since… I thought of you as my knight…"

Jefferson thinks about this. He sighs, and says- "But I'm no knight. I'm not the guy, Bethany…"

"No,"-Bethany continues- "You're strong. You're brave. You're so kind, and loyal. You're so selfless, so thoughtful and generous. The more I got to know you, the more I loved you."

"Bethany…"-Jefferson does not know what to say.

"And Megan is so lucky to have you!"-Bethany is crying tears of pride- "And to hear that you love her… Jefferson… you deserve her. Don't ever tell yourself any different, ok?"

"The things I've said to her…"-Jefferson looks down on the ground.

"We all make mistakes, Jefferson,"-Bethany says- "But… who we are… it doesn't change because of a mistake. Look, here you are, going the extra mile just to say you're sorry! Not a lot of guys would bother doing what you are doing…"

"Bethany, you're a good friend,"-Jefferson smiles at her- "I hope you find the knight you are looking for."

He kisses her in the forehead. She giggles, and says- "Humor me. Was I… I mean… do you think I'm a good kisser?"

He blushes. She blushes harder. He scratches his head, and says- "Don't take it the wrong way, but… yeah. You're pretty good."

"What was that?"-growled a voice from behind him. Jefferson's eyes bug out, as he recognizes the voice.

"Daddy!"-Bethany is startled- "How long have you been listening!"


	23. Chapter 23

Sins of the Mother

Episode 22: Swim

Night went, morning came. It was the same as always. The sun always rises, no exceptions. The small town of Wawanakwa rested on the shores of its lake. The mist was starting to clear up, ever so slightly. The not so clear water of the lake gently caressed the pier's palings, the warm light from the streetlamps turn off, one by one. The sky goes from a deep blue to a gray color. In a few minutes, it will be pink.

Though his eyes were dead tired from lack of sleep, Jefferson kept his eyes fixated on the small island on the other side of the lake. He looks at his watch. It's 8 AM. Cody walks up to him.

"You're not eating?" Cody offers him a corn muffin.

"Pardon me, Mr. Banker." Jefferson keeps his gaze at the Island. "She's there."

"No way. You made us get up so early just to get here. It's likely she's not even here yet."

"Megan always gets up early. I know that she's there. That is where she was going." Jefferson points to the Island. "She's there."

"Hah, what makes ya say that?" Cody smirks at Jefferson.

"All she talked about was going there. She's there." Jefferson squeezed the railing that separated him from the shore. Cody shakes his head, and goes back to his tired daughter. He looks at her. She is all grown up. She has her own boobs and everything. Broke his heart to see her so mature. He couldn't help but think back to a simpler time…

"_Cody! Come quick!" Lindsay was excited about something. "Get the camera!"_

_Cody rushed to his darling wife, camera in hand. Could it be…? Yes!_

"_Oh, Bethany, my beautiful baby girl!" Cody beams with pride as his daughter takes her first steps._

Cody snaps out of his flashback, as he sees his daughter has fallen asleep on his shoulder. He places his arm around her, puling her closer to him. He smiles, watching his oldest daughter as she sleeps.

"No matter how much she grows up, Bethany will always be my baby girl." Cody smiles, looking up at the sky.

"She's there! Damn it, where the hell is the ferry!" Jefferson started beating the railing. Ryan walks up to him, blueberry muffin in hand.

"Relax, bro. I'm sure the ferry will be here soon." Ryan takes a bite out of his muffin. "And besides, it's not like she could have gotten here that early. I bet she came here by… 7, at earliest."

"That still means she came here a whole hour before us." Jefferson sighs in exasperation. Ryan finishes his muffin, looks around, and finds a garbage bin.

"Ok, so… I'll check out the town. You guys… wait for the ferry, k?" He throws away the wrapper, and walks off.

"What did that kid say?" Cody snaps out of his thoughts.

"Ryan walked off." Jefferson keeps his gaze on the Island.

"Well… it's a small town. He'll be ok." Cody thinks for a second. "He saved my daughter…"

Ryan walked around the streets. He looked around him, and breathed in the lake air. He sighs contently. "This place… sure is different from the city. Wow…"

The sky was a celadon blue. Ryan sat down on the bench, and took in the morning Sun. He felt strangely relaxed, feeling the rays of the sun. He chuckles at the idea of having been a plant in a past life. He looks at some leaves that still contain some dew drops. As he watches a few drops glisten as they fell to the ground, Ryan suddenly began thinking about his first kiss. Yeah, the one he got yesterday…

As Cody relaxes himself by watching the waves of Lake Wawanakwa, he thinks back to a simpler time, way back when…

"_Hey Cody, come on! Water's great!" Owen was wearing his shorts. Cody hurries and puts on his own swimming trunks. Cody and Owen rush down towards the pier. They make sure no one is in danger of getting splashed this time, though._

"_Yesterday's challenge was brutal!" Owen shakes off the water in his hair. "I mean, I really hate flying, man!"_

"_I know. But I'm the one who had a bomb go off on my face!" Cody chuckles nervously. "Oh! You know who got eliminated yesterday?"_

"_No, who?" _

"_That jock… what was his name again?" Cody tries to recall. "Oh! Tyler!"_

"_Lindsay's boyfriend?"_

"_Yup. Him."_

_Owen's jaw drops. "But come on! Why!"_

"_I don't know. I mean, it's not like he LOST them the challenge!"_

"_Yeah. You know, if that Courtney hadn't chickened out, the other team would have won." Owen floats on his back._

"_Yeah. I feel kind of sorry for the guy." Cody relaxes on the water._

"_Lindsay didn't seem too upset over the whole thing."_

"_Yeah…" Cody ponders. "Hey, what do you think about Heather?"_

"_Why?"_

"_Because when you mentioned Lindsay, I though of Heather."_

"_Uh…" Owen would rather not say something mean. "Hey dude! I hear Gwen's super mad at Trent right now!"_

"_Oh, too bad for him." Cody merely looks at the clouds as he floats on._

"_No, dude! Now's your chance!" Owen swims towards Cody. "Make a move on her!"_

"_Think I got a shot?" Cody suddenly seems very attentive._

Snapping out of his flashback, Cody looks at his daughter one more time. Smiling to himself, he thinks about all those wonderful years he's had after the end of Total Drama.

"I have a good job that allows me to provide for a beautiful, loving wife and the two greatest daughters a father could ever ask for." Cody smiles contently. "Life is beautiful."

Ryan hummed a song to himself. It was **'More than a feeling' **by Boston. He looks at his watch. 9:45 AM. He should be heading back now. "Maybe they're worried… oh! Hey there!"

Jefferson paced around impatiently. He looks at the island at the other side of the Lake. He calculates how far away it must be. He figures it would take him 55 minutes to swim there. He grits his teeth. He climbs the rail.

"What are you doing?" He hears a sort of raspy, yet feminine voice. He looks towards the direction of the voice, and sees Ryan accompanied by a woman. A good looking woman, mind you.

"Hey kid. Thinking of swimming?" The woman chuckles. "You're at the wrong pier. The one for that old camp is that one over there."

Without thinking it twice, Jefferson bolts towards the pier he was pointed to. He sees a boat.

"Hey! Is this boat heading towards that old camp?" His mood lightens up when he is assured that the boat, in fact, will be leaving shortly. He gets on, and five minutes later, the boat leaves for Camp Wawanakwa.

"Hey… Aunt Gwen? Why didn't we go with him?" Ryan was confused over his Godmother's instructions.

"Ryan… it's better to let him go alone on this one." Gwen pets him on the head, which he does not like very much.

"Huh? Where did Jefferson go?" Bethany wakes up, and yawns. She looks downtrodden when she is told Jefferson left already.

Tyler parks the car. The clock reads 10:23 AM. As he and Janey step out of the car, Megan hesitates for a second. Then she gets off. A horrible feeling in her stomach, she presses onward.

"Janey!" Bethany runs towards her sister. As the two sisters hug joyously, Cody approaches his two daughters.

"Daddy! I.. Uh…" Janey is interrupted by her father, who hugs his youngest daughter.

"My big girl, going out into the real world, all on her own." Cody fights back the tears. Tyler looks on proudly at the two girls. Truly, these are the moments worth living for.

Megan's eyes are fixated on the Island on the other side of the lake.

"That's it… Camp Wawanakwa…" She swallows hard, her palms sweat as she feels like there are butterflies in her stomach…


	24. Chapter 24

Sins of the Mother

Episode 23: I need you and I miss you and I want you and I love you

"I'm going…" Her lips expressed her determination, but her body expressed hesitation instead. Her arms trembled. Her legs didn't move.

"Megan… you're not moving." Tyler expressed the obvious. "You ok?"

"…No…" Megan's eyes began to tear up. "I'm scared."

"Aunt Gwen…" Ryan looks at Gwen. She sees in his eyes his concern. She smiles at her godson, seeing in his face the young man she helped raise, all grown up now.

"Megan, was it? My, how you've grown." Gwen walks to Megan, and pats her on her shoulder.

"Who are you?" Megan is slightly taken aback. "Sorry ma'am…"

"My name's Gwen Masters. I knew your mother." Gwen hugs her. "But I'm no stranger. We met before. But… you were probably too young to remember me."

"Wait…Mrs. Masters? You're husband told me about you!" Megan hugs her back, but she quickly blushes and apologizes for that. "Uh… you knew my mom?"

"Yeah. She was really beautiful. She was really strong willed." Gwen smiles as she remembers the good times.

"Mrs. Masters, please." Megan starts to cry. "I know all about how my mom was not the best person to get along with."

"Oh, you mean about how much of a bitch she was?" Gwen immediately regretted that choice of words. "Megan, I…"

"Save it. I know." Megan falls on her knees. "I wasted my time, and everyone else's!"

"No you didn't." Bethany walks towards Megan. "Come on, we all came on our own free will."

"I'm so sorry…" Megan's crying does not stop. "I should have never have come here. What the hell did I expect to find?"

"Well…" Tyler could not answer. When he really thought about it, Megan was right.

"You expected to find answers." Janey speaks up. "You came out into the world, looking for answers. And we all came with you on our own. We came with you because we all had things to look for. We all had answers to find. Things we needed to see."

"What?" Megan dries her tears.

"I came here to follow Bethany. I thought it was because I didn't want her to go alone. But the truth is, I was just scared of being alone. I guess, I just didn't have the confidence to be by myself. But now, I see myself for the strong, supportive girl I really am." Cody smiles as he sees his youngest daughter, admiring how much she has grown up. "So come on, Meg. Let's go to Camp Wawanakwa. I'll coem with you if you want."

"Me too." Bethany extends her hand at Megan, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll come with you."

"Count me in." Ryan extends his hand as well. "Got your back, Meg."

"Guys.." Megan smiles at her friends, tears of joy streaming down her face. "Thanks."

"You kids better be ready. Another boat leaves in five minutes." Gwen points to the boat.

"Ok, let's all go…together." Megan follows her three friends. "Mister Jameson? You're not coming?"

"You kids go. This is a part of this journey you need to take yourselves." Tyler smiles at his students…his kids. Cody and Gwen give them reassuring smiles as well.

Meanwhile…

"Megan…where are you?" Jefferson rushes across the forest of Camp Wawanakwa. Though he is exhausted, he continues his search.

He races across the woods. He has been running in circles for about an hour or so.

"Megan…please.." Jefferson is too tired to keep running. "Where are you?"

Jefferson collapses on the ground. He is fatigued now.

"Megan…" Jefferson fails to notice the red haired woman holding a bag in her hand, smiling devilishly. "I need you."

Izzy crept closer to Jefferson. "I love you, Megan. I'm sorry! I know what I said was wrong. Please, forgive me."

Jefferson is now in tears. "I don't deserve you. I never did. I'm no one. But…you mean the whole world to me. You're the only girl I ever loved, Megan. Please, don't leave me."

"I'm no different from him… from my father.." Jefferson has no time to reflect further, as Izzy sneaks up on him and places a mushroom in his mouth. She keeps her hand over his mouth, grinning as he falls into a deep slumber.

"Banzai, success!" Izzy leaps up in joy. "Ok Owen, now we just gotta get that Megan girl!"

The boat lands on the pier. Megan, Ryan, Janey and Bethany step out of the boat.

"Wow…this Island is…something else…" Janey can't bring herself to say the derelict camp was anything but an eyesore.

"Wow! A forest! Awesome, dudes! Let's go exploring!" Ryan picks up a stick, and swings it like a sword.

"This is the place…" Megan walks around Camp Wawanakwa. There is an internal map of the place in her mind. "This is where I go…in my dreams."

"Cool.." Bethany looks around, astounded by the place. She loves this place, the sound of leaves in the wind, the smell of nature, the sound of calm water trickling down the streams. "I love this place."

"What an ugly place. Is THIS where mommy and daddy met?" Janey walks around incredulously around the camp. She enters the old mess hall. She touches a small bench, unaware that it was the same bench that Ezekiel sat on when he found out his sexist viewpoint was very wrong. She sits on the same bench where her mother and godmother were first coerced into an alliance with Heather.

"This place is amazing." Ryan sits down on a log. It's the same log Geoff sat in when he was given the first ever Symbol of Immunity in Total Drama history.

"I love this place." Bethany lays down on the Killer Bass cabin's porch. A long time ago, 21 years in fact, Duncan sat on this porch, silently thankful he was no longer in Juvenile Hall.

"…There's nothing here…" Megan wandered out into the woods by herself. She walks across the forest, and finds a rock overlooking a creek. She sits down. She is unaware that, 21 years ago, her own mother sat on this rock, by herself, crying her eyes out.

"Mom…what's the point? You're not the woman I thought you were…" Megan starts to cry again, unaware that Izzy was sneaking up on her. "I…don't even know why I bothered…"

"Mom… I…" Izzy is now behind Megan. She surprises Megan by putting a mushroom in her mouth, and covering her mouth with her hand. Izzy forces Megan to swallow the mushroom. Megan then falls asleep, as Izzy carries her towards a cave. She places Megan's body next to Jefferson's. She lights some herbs on fire, and allows the smoke to fill the room. Izzy then begins a chant…

Megan wakes up. She is now in the middle of camp. She gets up, and sees she is surrounded by an odd fog. She walks towards the pier, and sees Courtney…

Jefferson wakes up. He is in the middle of an old city. He get up, and surveys the streets. The cobbled streets reflect the light from the street lamps, as the moon shines it's light upon the city. Jefferson is then greeted by Owen…


	25. Chapter 25

Sins of the Mother

Episode 24: Speaking with the dead

"Excuse me, Ma'am? Where am I?" Megan looks around her, recognizing very little about her surroundings. "Am I still in Camp Wawanakwa?"

Courtney does not respond. She sits on the edge of the pier, holding a blue haze in her arms. Her gaze is fixated on the water.

"I don't know where this is. And all this fog…" Megan sits down on the dock, right next to Courtney. "Please, don't mind me."

"Talk to her." A voice speaks to Megan. She turns around, and sees a young boy. "Please, talk to her."

"Who are you?" Megan is surprised to see such a young boy, all alone in the fog.

"My name's George. People call me Georgie, as a pet name." Georgie extends his hand. "Please, talk to her for a while, would ya?"

"Uh…but I don't even know her." Megan is nervous now. "And…where am I?"

"You're here." Georgie smiles. "I have to go now. Be back later, ok?"

Georgie turns around, and runs. He disappears into the fog. Megan sits back down again, nervous. She looks over at Courtney, and begins wondering what that blue haze is.

"What's that?" Megan asks Courtney. She does not respond.

Meanwhile…

"Hey, Jeff, it sure is good to see ya!" Owen shakes Jefferson's hand enthusiastically. "So tell me, how are Bridgette and DJ? Are they ok? Is the food down on Earth still as delicious as ever?"

"Uh…sorry, Mister…Larson, was it? I don't really…" Jefferson was at a loss for words.

"Oh! Sorry, I guess I am still a stranger, after all." Owen laughs. "I knew your mom back when we were teens."

"Really?" Jefferson is pleasantly surprised. Rarely does he meet people that knew his mother from when she was a teen.

"Yeah. Tell me, are she and DJ happy together?" Owen looks at Jefferson, the joy in his eyes still there after all this time.

"How do you know about that?" Jefferson is shocked. "How do you know about DJ!"

"Oh…you mean you don't know?' Owen is puzzled. Then he figures it out. "Oh, see this is the Afterlife. Didn't you know?"

"Wait…Afterlife…" Jefferson's eyes bug out in horror.

"No, wait. YOU aren't dead yet." Owen quickly assures Jefferson. "My old girlfriend brought you here. The both of you."

"The two of us?" Jefferson asks bewildered.

"Yeah, you and Heather's girl." Owen smiles at the young man.

"Who…Megan?" Jefferson grabs Owen. "She's here? I need to talk to her!"

"Calm down, son. I'll take you to her." Owen begins walking towards a bar. "Follow me."

In the world of the living…

Ryan and Bethany walked around the old Gopher cabin. Bethany looks at the old, cracked mirror. Janey enters.

"Hey guys…I'm worried about Megan. She's been gone a while now." Janey sits down on the old chair.

"It's only been a half hour, Janey." Bethany plays with her hair a bit. "I'm more worried about Jefferson. How long has he been gone?"

"Jeff's been gone, about two hours, I think." Ryan kneels down, inspecting a whole in the wall. This hole served as a peephole once. Owen once used this peephole, and saw Izzy take her skirt off.

"Maybe we should look for them?" Janey suggested. Both Ryan and Bethany agreed, and exited the cabins.

Back with Megan…

"Please, leave me alone." Courtney's voice is bitter. "I have no reason to talk to you."

"Sorry." Megan thought she was rude, but dared not say anything. "I'm just lost. I'll leave you alone, Ma'am."

"Go away already, Heather." Courtney says bitterly. "I've nothing to say to you."

"My name's not Heather." Megan's voice is suppressing her anger at Courtney's rudeness.

Courtney turns around, and looks at Megan. "You sure look like her, though."

"A lot of people have told me that." Megan sits down next to Courtney, dumbfounded. "You knew my mom?"

"Correction, I know your mom."

Megan sighs, sadness in her eyes. "Ma'am…my mom died, thirteen years ago."

"I know. This is the Afterlife." Courtney returns her gaze to the water.

"Afterlife…?" Megan's eyes are filled with horror.

"Relax, you're not dead yet." Courtney keeps her gaze at the water. "Long story."

"So…"

"Look. Leave me alone, ok!" Courtney snaps at Megan. "I'm in no mood to talk to that bitch's daughter!"

"I'm sorry." It hurt Megan to hear someone call her mom that. But she had to admit, it was true. Heather was not a nice person.

"Look, I'm sorry. Don't start crying." Courtney snaps again. "Why the hell did you come here?"

"I don't know." Megan is crying now. "I thought…I don't know!"

"Stop crying." Courtney felt a lot of shame well up inside her. "I'm sorry. I…"

"It's ok. I'll be leaving now." Megan gets up, and starts to leave.

"Wait." Courtney holds onto Megan's hand. "The fog will lift soon. You can go then, it will be safer."

"What do you care?" Megan didn't want to yell at Courtney. It just happened.

"…When I was still alive…I didn't care about anything except winning. Getting ahead in life." Courtney rubs her eyes. "The things I did…"

Megan dries her tears, and listens intently to Courtney's story.

"I used to be a stickler for the rules. I thought of myself as a good woman, a defender of law and truth. Hah, a pleasant lie, that. When I got 'unfairly' eliminated from Total Drama, I stopped being such a goody two shoes, and became the biggest bitch on the planet." Courtney chuckles. "How the mighty Courtney fell. I became as bad as Heather. No, worse. I became worse than Heather. At least Heather never put anyone's lives on the line."

Megan was stunned.

"After Total Drama, I convinced myself that coming on top was all that mattered. I was so convinced that everything that mattered in life was money and power. Money to make the world go around. Power to make the money move as you wish." Courtney sighs. "To get those things, I practically sold my soul."

Megan's eyes widen as Courtney tells her the tale of how she got to become so powerful.

"I had it all, Miss. I had money, and power. I was feared, I was hated. I loved it. But, as time went by, I realized how empty it all was. I began to lose my sanity, my grip on reality. I began seeing my so again." She points to the blue haze she's been carrying. "I aborted my son, so I wouldn't be held back in my ambitions. I chose my ambitions over my child. At the time, I thought a child would have been only a burden."

"So, why didn't you put him up for adoption, instead?" Megan asked without thinking. She quickly clasps her mouth.

"I didn't want a pregnancy. Just being pregnant was an obstacle. So…I terminated my pregnancy as soon as I found out about it." Courtney wipes a tear from her eye. "But I didn't need to. I had more than enough money to take care of the child. I could have made time for a child."

Megan places a comforting hand on Courtney's shoulder.

"Why did I kill my child? I didn't need to." Courtney is now in tears. "The guilt I felt, over my sins…was too much. I stepped on so many people, killed my only child… I put an end to it all. I wonder if anyone cared that I was gone forever. I wonder if anyone went to my funeral."

Megan started to cry, too. She cried because of how bad she felt for Courtney.

"Are you crying…for me?" Courtney wipes the tears from her eyes, then places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't cry, ok? It's all in the past."

"Sorry, Courtney. I just…" Megan didn't know what to say.

"Don't be like me when you grow up, ok? Money, power, those things are meaningless." Courtney stands up. The fog clears. "Friends, family, time, joy, laughter…all those things are the real things that matter. It's ok to have some ambition in life, but you should always have room for the things that matter. And if your ambitions call for you to sacrifice any of those things I told you, I hope you realize, it isn't worth it."

Courtney looks at the blue haze in her arms, then looks at Megan. She lets go of the haze, which promptly disappears. "Your name was Megan, right? I know where your dad is. I'll take you to him. Would you like that?"

Megan is stunned. She didn't remember her father much. But, she nods her head. Butterflies in her stomach, she follows Courtney to meet the man who loved her mother…

Meanwhile…

"Mister Larson, is Megan really here?" Jefferson enters the bar cautiously. He sees many faceless people walking around the streets.

"Well, she isn't in THIS place specifically. But…someone's here that you need to meet." Owen fiddles with his collar nervously. Jefferson gives Owen a curious look. He looks around the bar, and sees someone raise his hand, calling to him. Jefferson walks over to him.

"Hey son." Geoff takes a sip from his drink, staring coldly at Jefferson. "Sit down. We need to have a talk."


	26. Chapter 26

Sins of the Mother

Episode 25: Father and son

"Hey son." Geoff stares coldly at his son. "Sit down. We need to talk."

"Did you just…who are you?" Jefferson asks, dumbfounded.

"I'm the man who got your mom pregnant with you." Geoff takes a sip from his drink. He puts his glass down, and signals to the waitress, ordering another drink.

"Geoff?" Jefferson is astonished. Geoff nods his head, and grabs his new glass. Jefferson's eyes narrow, he turns around, and heads for the exit. "Nothing to talk about."

"Stay." Geoff nearly barks that order. "We got a lot to talk about."

"Really?" Jefferson stops in his tracks, but does not face Geoff. "Well then, do enlighten me. Because unless I'm mistaken, this is the first time we ever met."

"Yet you act like you known me all your life." Geoff slams his glass unto the table, his drink splashing unto his hands. He raises his hand, ordering another drink.

"Well shit. I don't know what you're talking about." Jefferson starts walking away again. Owen tries to stop him.

"Jefferson, please." Owen pleads on his knees. "Let him talk, ok? He has a lot to say."

"Like I care." Jefferson brushes him off. He walks towards the door. Geoff observes this, drinking his gin.

"So, this is how the little boy acts." Geoff speaks loudly enough for Jefferson to hear. Jefferson tightens his fists, and stops dead in his tracks.

"Don't call me a little boy." Jefferson's voice reflects the anger he feels. It reflects such a level of hate, it is impossible to measure.

"Well, what do I call you? A man?" Geoff chuckles. "I don't see a man here. Except Owen."

"Open your eyes, you…" Jefferson stops himself. "You got a man standing in front of you."

"Let me try, then." Geoff puts his drink down, and looks at Jefferson directly. "Nope, don't see any men here. Just a little boy."

"You're looking to get a fist in the mouth, old man!" Jefferson slams his hands on the table, looking dangerously at Geoff.

"See what I mean? A little kid." Geoff orders another drink. "This is the guy who thought he could take care of his mother?"

"Don't you talk about my mom!" Jefferson knocks the table over. He picks Geoff by the collar, ready to punch him. "I treat her better than you ever did!"

"Ok, let's see how you treat her." Geoff takes a sip of his drink, unflinching. "Ever make her cry?"

"Never." Jefferson answers with firmness.

"Wrong. I've been watching you, kid. I've seen you make your mother cry, dozens of times." Geoff speaks calmly. Jefferson's eyes widen. Geoff begins narrating an example of how Jefferson made Bridgette cry…

"_Ms. Willow? I'm afraid you need to come to school. It's your son. Again." Principal Chandler sighs heavily. He was getting sick of this routine._

_Bridgette hung up the phone. She slumps on her desk, burying her face in her hands. She sighs again, fighting the tears. Her boss, Kimiko Takanawa, looms over her._

"_Your kid again?" Kimiko's eyes are like ice. "Third time this month. I told you what would happen."_

"_I'm sorry. My son just…doesn't get along with the other kids" Bridgette tried her best to maintain her composure. She can faintly hear her co-workers snicker at her._

"_Ms. Willow. No more excuses. Clean up your desk." Kimiko turns around, and walks away._

_In her car, Bridgette, looks at her clock. She turns on the radio, as tears stream down her face. Quietly, without anyone looking, she allows herself a moment to cry._

"That don't prove shit, old man." Jefferson takes Geoff's glass, and throws it to the wall. "She could have cried because everyone there was a jackass, and she felt embarrassed!"

"Kid, are you really that dense? Did you forget how often your mother had to leave work, to attend to your problems?" Geoff orders another glass. "How many fights did you get into as a kid?"

"So? I… I had to defend myself, ok?" Jefferson is taken aback slightly, but he then holds his ground again.

"You never liked playing with the other kids. Always brushed them off, told them to leave you alone. Your teachers started getting worried about you." Geoff takes a sip of his drink. "And fix this table."

Upon seeing that Jefferson wasn't moving, Owen nervously approached the table. However, Geoff stops him from doing anything further.

"I remember my teachers. And the other kid's parents." Jefferson tightens his fists. "They always called me names. Called me things like 'loner freak'. I once heard one of them call me 'bastard child'. I just didn't like playing with the other kids, ok?"

"Bridgette, she got a lot of flak because of that." Geoff begins narrating a new tale…

"_Ms Willow, I am sorry to say this, but your son, Jefferson, exhibits far too many antisocial behavioral patterns. He sits by himself all the time, even at lunch. He rarely converses with anyone, and the few times he does are hardly pleasant." The school psychiatrist hands Bridgette Jefferson's record. "This behavior is often exhibited in children who are documented as having grown to become criminals."_

"_Are you saying my son will grow up to be a criminal?" Bridgette stands up, indignant. "I will have you know, you don't know the first thing about my son!"_

"_Miss, please sit down, I am a professional." The psychiatrist glares at Bridgette. "Listen, I have spent months studying behavioral patterns such as these. And I'm telling you, your son needs to learn to be more social."_

"_There is nothing wrong with my son." Bridgette is in tears now. "He's special. He prefers some quiet time by himself, than playing with kids who don't like him. Why is that so bad?"_

"_Children shouldn't be by themselves all the time. They need to build social skills." The psychiatrist hands Bridgette a book titled __Great Parenting: How to raise the Perfect Child. __"That book ought to tell you all you need to know about-"_

_Bridgette throws the book to the floor, and storms out, before the psychiatrist has a chance to finish that sentence._

"My mom got a lot of shit from those jackasses." Jefferson punches the wall. Owen flinches, scared of the violent scene he was sure would occur.

"Many people were scared of you. They were so sure, you were gonna be the kid who would grow up to be the guy who brought a gun to school and shot everyone dead. You spent so much time alone, that soon everyone gave up on you." Geoff stirs the ice in his drink.

"Everyone was a jerk." Jefferson faces his father again, his eyes giving an evil glare. "They always gave mom a hard time.

"I don't know if you remember, but there was this one time, when she finally had enough." Geoff stares sadly at his glass, as he narrates…

"_Well now, Miss Willow. I believe you know why we called you here." Mrs. Blaine glared darkly at Bridgette. She was flanked by the other school faculty members. "Now, shall we discuss Mister Jefferson Willow's academic future in this school?"_

"_You… why are you trying to expel him?" Bridgette has her fists clenched, angry tears streaming down her eyes. "What has he done?"_

"_Well, this school is a bastion of teamwork, citizenship and academic achievement. Achieving just one out of three is not something we accept." The principal rubs his forehead._

"_Hah, I for one can serve as a witness to Mister Willow's failure at teamwork." Ms Franklin interjects, smiling at the idea of expelling Jefferson. Yes, she secretly hates him._

"_Look, my son just likes being alone. There's nothing wrong with preferring to be by oneself." Bridgette slams her fists onto the desk._

"_That boy is quite troublesome. I am surprised you didn't abort him." Every member of the faculty stands in shock of Ms Franklin's horrible statement. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Jefferson had been listening in…_

"I know! Ok? I know!" Jefferson starts punching the wall repeatedly. Owen is rather scared now, but Geoff continues with his drink. "Mom… I…"

"She had to put up with a lot, while raising you. She suffered inwardly, but she kept going forward for your sake." Geoff puts his drink down. He had allowed Owen to fix the table.

"I know…It's because of me…" Jefferson begins to cry. "If mom never had me-"

"Then her life would have been easier? Better?" Geoff looks at his son. "Is that what you think?"

"If it wasn't for me, she could have married DJ, lived a happy life, not have to deal with any of that shit!" Jefferson slumps to the ground. "If it wasn't for me… Why didn't she abort me?"

"Why do you ask that?" Owen is stunned. "Aren't you happy with how your life is? Aren't you glad she chose to have you?"

"What for?" Jefferson is in tears. "All I am is a burden to my mother…"

"No, you aren't." Owen tries to console him.

"You! Why did you do this to her?" Jefferson picks his father by the collar again. "Why did you…"

"I know, kid. I'm guilty too." Geoff gets up. "I messed up, big time. I only had her best interests in mind. But if I had any sense, I could have avoided a whole lot of shit."

"Justin…told me that story." Jefferson tries to dry up his tears.

"When I'm here, not a day goes by when I wish, I could have done differently. I always swear to myself, if I had known about you sooner, I could have quit sooner." Geoff's eyes are starting to water. "I know, we all make mistakes…but sometimes, mistakes can be fatal."

"I… I said things to her…" Jefferson is crying again. "I called her trip 'stupid'…"

"Son… The one thing I always wanted to say to you, is that I'm proud of you." Geoff places his hand on Jefferson's shoulder. "You were never a burden to your mom. Don't ever think that. Everything she did, she did because she loved you. She always did. All she ever wanted was for you to be happy. That's why she fought tooth and nail for you."

"Mom…" Jefferson gets up. "I…"

"She loves you, son." Geoff smiles at Jefferson. "Megan loves you too. Yeah, I know about that. Son… you made a mistake, ok? We all make mistakes. But we all got to deal with those mistakes. We all got to owe up, you know? That was my big mistake, not owing up. But your mom did. She decided to we up and have you. And I am so thankful to her for having you. I always look down, looking at you, watching you grow up. I always say 'that's my boy!' Even when you said you hated me, I never denied you. And I am proud to say, my son is a man who cherishes his mother, attempts to fix his mistakes, and knows what's important to him."

"I'm sorry…dad. For saying that I hate you." Jefferson hugs his father. Owen wipes a tear from his eye.

"Hey…save that title for someone who earned it. Like DJ." Geoff smiles at his son, though his eyes reflect much regret. "He was there for you, when you needed a father."

"He has… but… I'd like to call you dad, too…" Jefferson hugs Geoff again.

"This is my boy!" Geoff proclaims proudly to everyone within ear shot. "This is my boy!"


	27. Chapter 27

Sins of the Mother

Episode 26: The past, the future, the present.

Cody watches the waves crash onto the pier of the town of Wawanakwa.

"Hey Gwen since when has this town been here?" He asks, whilst watching the old Island.

"This town was originally made to take advantage of Playa de Losers' influx of tourists and vacationers. Even though the hotel itself is no longer here, this place sees a steady stream of business, mostly from city folk who want to get away for a while." Gwen walks towards the pier. "Duncan and I come here every year, in this particular time."

"Wow, really? What for?" Cody smiles at Gwen.

"It's the place where he proposed to me." Gwen blushes. "We come here every anniversary, to remember."

"It's your anniversary?" Cody pats her on the back. "Oh…wait…"

"He couldn't come this year. Too much work." Gwen sighs. "But it's ok. He works hard, and I'm proud of him."

"Sure is a far cry from the Duncan we knew." Tyler kneels back against the wall. "What changed him?"

"He was always that kind, hard working man. It's just that, when we met him, he simply hid that man underneath a roguish, foolhardy youth." Gwen blushes, thinking back to those carefree days. "Hey Tyler, where were you hiding all that time?'

"Me? I wasn't hiding, I was running." Tyler chuckles. "Same thing though, I suppose. I was running away. And after I got tired of running, I started searching."

"Ever find what you wanted?" Gwen smiles at him.

"Sure did. And when I did, I came back. I found what I wanted…" Tyler begins to think of his young adult life.

"What did you find?" Cody asks, diverting his attention away from the Island.

"A sense of worth." Tyler looks up to the sky. "Sure is a beautiful day today."

"Yeah." Gwen sit down next to Tyler. "I wonder if Duncan is resting, like he's supposed to."

"I'm actually surprised you two got married." Tyler chuckles. "Must have been some wedding."

"It was." Gwen smiles. "Right, Cody?"

"Yeah." Cody chuckles. "Boy, that was some day. Seeing Duncan like that, just wow. He was unrecognizable from when he was a teen."

"Wish I was there…" Tyler looks up at a bird flying by. "I sure hope Megan's ok."

"Hey…why did you bring her here?" Cody is curious, he does not mean to judge.

"Because…if I hadn't driven her here, she would have walked by herself." Tyler sits up.

"But…why you?" Cody is now really curious. "Why did you help her? Why not talk her out of it?"

"Cody…I lived it. I lived through that need to get away, to find answers on your own." Tyler gets up, and walks towards the railing. "When I looked into her eyes that night, I saw myself. I saw the same sadness, same confused yet determined look I had that time. I just couldn't leave her like that, leave her on her own. Likewise, I couldn't tell her no, don't go. I had to go with her. I had to take care of her."

"Wow, Tyler." Gwen gets up, and places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You sure have changed since Total Drama."

"Thanks." Tyler smiles.

"Hey…so why did you take my two girls?" Now Cody is very serious.

"Oh, that. Well… Bethany insisted, and Janey insisted on staying with Bethany?" Tyler is quite nervous now.

"Really? And just why, may I ask, didn't you convince them to come back home?" Cody is now dangerously coming close to Tyler.

"Well…I uh… see…uh…" Tyler gulps. "Uh…I thought you was cool with…I'm sorry…"

"Dude…NOT cool!" Cody aims a punch at Tyler's face, and stops within inches of landing the blow. "But I also understand that you took good care of them."

"Dude…ya had me going for a while there." Tyler wipes the sweat of his brow.

"Listen…Bethany…she's growing up now. And don't get me wrong, I think she made the wrong choice, going off like that. But…I can understand her. I can understand wanting to run from it all." Cody starts to tear up. "I just wish she chose to come to me for help. Maybe…she just didn't trust me enough."

"Dude…you know how kids can get at her age. And in this day and age, kid's are growing up faster than ever." Tyler pats him on the back.

"I remember the day she was born. I was so proud, so happy. In my mind, for all these years, she was always that little girl. That little girl that I held when she was born. That little girl that loved to chase butterflies when she was five, loved to dance when she was eight. But today, after all that had happened…I saw my little girl, only she wasn't my little girl anymore. She is more of a mini Lindsay. She's getting a more womanly figure now. I can't even hold her in my arms anymore." Cody's tears stream down his face.

"Dude…that's life, bro." Tyler looks on at the Island, remembering that summer, so long ago.

"And little Heather. Oh…she prefers being called Janey. She's my baby. When she goes to college…" Cody dries his tears. "I was so happy the day she was born, too. Ha ha, she took after me, did you know? She loves geek stuff. Ha ha ha, you should see how her eyes light up whenever she sees a new gadget, or some new computer software. Whenever I see Janey, I see myself. I am so proud of her, sticking with her sister through thick and thin. She has a lot of character in her."

"Yeah…" Gwen looks over at the Island. "I wish…I could have kids, too."

"Gwen…" Cody looks at her, sympathy in his eyes.

"Why not? I mean, why can't you?" Tyler asks her.

"Didn't anyone tell you?" Gwen is surprised. "I'm sterile. I can't have kids."

"What?" Tyler is shocked to hear that.

"Well, see. My uterus can't handle kids. Every time one of my eggs got fertilized, my uterus destroyed it. Doctors say my body is simply very protective, and doesn't take kindly to outsiders." Gwen chuckles a bit. "Ironic. I used to have the same personality."

"Gwen…I'm so sorry." Tyler looks down at the ground.

"Don't be. Sure, maybe I'd like to have kids. But…it's for the best that I can't have them. Duncan's a cop. A good one at that, but he is a cop. And every day, he puts his life on the line, for the safety of the citizens. One of my biggest fears is that one day, I get THAT call…confirming that I am widowed." Gwen wipes a tears from her eye. "Do I really want to risk having a kid? I mean…do I really want to have to look a child I helped create with the man I love in the eye, and tell that child he or she will never see his or her father, ever again?"

"Sorry…" Tyler has no idea what else to say.

"At least I'm a Godmother. I helped raise Ryan…sometimes, his parents would have to leave town a lot. And he'd spend the night, or some nights in a row at our house. I've watched that boy grow." Gwen smiles at the sky. "In a sense, I didn't miss out on being a mom. And to think… when we were at his baptism, everyone thought for sure Ryan was going to die. He was so sick as an infant… look at him now. I can't help but feel proud of him."

"Yeah…hey Tyler, what about you?" Cody asks. "When you gonna settle down, and have a kid?"

"Let's see here. I have 25 students per class, and I have 5 classes a day. That means that for a whole year, I get 125 students, give or take. And I've been teaching for six years or so. So… that means I have had about…over 600 children." Tyler leans against the rail. "It's hard work. The pay's bad, and I have to work a summer job just to make ends meet. Sometimes, I gotta take a second job to help pay for supplies for my own class. But seeing those kids, helping them grow…makes it all worth while. What I do, can only be done when you love doing it."

The three adults remain silent for a while.

"My daughter, Bethany…she likes that Jefferson boy." Cody looks down on the ground. "I hate him already, ha ha. But seriously…he's too old for her."

"Jefferson's a good kid. Sure, he can be overly serious. But he has a big heart underneath that scowl." Tyler says while looking at the Island.

"Who's Jefferson?" Gwen asks.

"Bridgett's kid." Tyler answers.

"Wow…I haven't seen her since Geoff's funeral." Gwen looks at the Island with nostalgia in her eyes. "I hope she's ok."

"She's changed. She seldom smiles. And she always seems tired, sad, and somewhat lonely. Like if she wanted the Earth to swallow her up or something. But every now and again…I see her. I see her with DJ, and she lightens up a bit. But she's always smiling whenever she sees Jefferson hang out with Megan." Tyler walks towards Gwen. "Her reason to be is her son. Her happiness depends on his own. He doesn't see that. He thinks he can give her happiness by pretending to be an adult. Maybe that's why he hardly ever smiles. He wants to pretend to be an adult. He may be 19, but he still has a lot to learn."

"Yeah…" Cody sits down on the ground. "I miss my two little girls. Now…they are becoming little women…"

"I know. You should be proud." Gwen sits down next to him.

"Know what…if they were here…" Tyler sits down next to Cody. "We could have had a reunion."

"But they are not here." Gwen sighs. "The four of them have gone to a better place. Geoff, Owen, Courtney, Heather. No more worries for them, no more problems."

"I miss them." Cody looks up at the sky. "All four of them."

"So do I." Gwen pats him on the shoulder.

"Me too." Tyler looks away.

Meanwhile…

"You…" Megan's eyes tear up as she sees Paul, her father, greet her with a nervous smile and open arms.


	28. Chapter 28

_**Sins of the Mother**_

_Episode 27: I'm a hazard to myself._

"_No…" Megan's eyes are red and_ puffy. However, she is trying her hardest not to cry.

"Hi…Megan.." Paul is feeling rather nervous. "It's…been a while…"

"I…no…" Megan falls on her knees. "No…"

"Honey?" Paul is uncertain whether to approach her or not.

"I…I always…" Megan's tears fall to the ground.

"Megan…honey…" Paul's smile remains, in spite of the fact that inside, his heart is already been torn to shreds.

"You… Why?" Megan looks up at Paul, fury written all over her face. "Why are you dead?"

"Megan…I…" Finally, the smile fades. "What do I say?"

"How about telling me why you are here?"

"I…" Paul's eyes start to tear up. "I…killed myself…"

"What the fuck for!" Megan's fists tightened. Courtney, who had accompanied Megan, placed a comforting hand on her back.

Paul started to cry. "I… I couldn't go on, ok? I just…couldn't continue without her. I…"

"Asshole…" Megan's voice is rather hushed. She gets up, turns back, and starts running away.

"Megan, come back!" Courtney calls to no avail. She turns to Paul. He is a fully broken man now, kneeling on the ground, crying.

As Megan continues running, she remembers how foolish she has been all these years…

_It was Father's day, and seven year old Megan was watching TV. She had already given her grandfather the present grandma picked up in her name. At least she wrote the note herself. _

_"Do you have a daddy? I bet you do." The TV show host wore some type of corny sweater. "Who's your daddy?"_

_Megan watches the TV special. She sees several kids, right around her age, introduce their fathers. Some of them introduced more than one. This fact didn't register in her mind as odd, not once. What did register was a pang of jealousy. These kids all had their fathers. She still waited for hers to come back…_

Megan trips and falls down. As she gets herself up, and continues to run.

Paul remained on the ground, crying. In his mind, he replayed the memory of that awful day…

_Paul looked inside the cabinet, to see if there was anything he and his three year old daughter, Megan, could eat. There was a jar of oatmeal. Paul breathes a sigh of relief. He takes it out, opens the jar, and looks inside. There's enough for one person. Paul nods to himself. This will be Megan's breakfast. He pours the oats onto the frying pan, turns the stove on, and begins frying the oats. He looks inside the fridge, to get the milk. There's barely enough milk to make the oatmeal with. Paul sighs, dejected. He hadn't done much shopping since Heather died about a week ago. Paul sighs. He then starts smelling something._

"_Shit, the oats!" Paul rushes to his burnt oats. He slaps his forehead. He turns the stove off, and throws the oats away. "Dummy, pour the milk first, THEN the oats! How did Heather survive being married to me?"_

_Paul sits down, feeling down. Just thinking about Heather gets him down._

"_Heather…" Paul's eyes begin to tear up. He dries his tears, swearing that he can't cry. He gets up, and looks inside the fridge for something else to eat. There isn't a thing. Not even a slice of cheese…_

"_Damn" Paul slams his fist onto the table. He gets an idea. He goes to his room, searches his pants, and takes out his wallet. "Maybe I got a few bucks here."_

_He opens his wallet. He has three dollars. He smiles. He looks at his watch. It is 6:45 AM. Megan will wake up in a little while. He goes outside. Suddenly, he stops._

"_I can't leave Megan alone…" Paul holds onto the apartment building's railings. "Even if it is for 15 minutes… I can't leave her alone…"_

"_Paul…" Deborah opens her door. "It's early. What's wrong?"_

"_Hey Mrs. Anderson. No, nothing is wrong." Paul is obviously lying. His stomach growls furiously._

"_When will you be going back to work?" Deborah looks at Paul sympathetically._

"_Soon." Paul offers a false smile. "I mean…come on, I'm still in mourning, you know?"_

"_Paul…" Deborah looks away. "I wont be able to take care of Megan for much longer."_

"_I understand…" Paul was disappointed. "I mean…she is so young, and she can be a handful. Thank you for all the times you did, however."_

"_It's not that she's a handful." Deborah looks at the sky with much sadness. "I will soon be joining her…"_

"_No…" Paul slams his fist onto the railing. He then starts to shake off the pain. "I am so sorry."_

"_Paul…let's be honest. Right now, your top priority should be Megan."_

"_I swear, it is." Paul rubs his hand._

"_Then…do you have any family members that can take care of her?"_

"_You know I don't have any family left… But…" Paul suddenly gets an idea. "Heather's family likes Megan. They can…"_

_Paul looks at the ground. "Mrs. Anderson…I mean, Deborah… I should give Megan to her parents. They are well off, and they love Megan…They call her everyday, since the funeral. And Megan loves talking to them… Do you think Megan will like living with them?"_

"_You need to do the right thing, son." Deborah places a comforting hand on his forearm. She then starts coughing._

"_Deborah… I will take Megan to live with her grandparents…" Paul's tears fall down to the floor._

Megan ran as fast as she could. Suddenly, the mist started growing thicker and thicker. But she didn't care, she just ran. Suddenly, she bumps into someone, and falls to the floor.

"Ouch…" Megan begins to whimper.

"Megan? Are you ok?" The voice belonged to Jefferson. He offers her a hand.

"Leave me alone." She slaps the hand away.

"Megan…I'm sorry." Jefferson hangs his head. "I… I didn't mean what I said back then."

"Will you leave me alone, already?" Megan's shout was filled with hate, anger and venom. Her eyes burned with sorrow and rage.

"Megan…I…" Jefferson was at a loss for words.

"Hold on…why are you here?" Megan suddenly realized where they were. "Are you dead?"

"No, neither of us is." Jefferson looks at Megan. He is still offering a helping hand.

"Then go away and leave me alone." Megan gets up, and turns her back on him.

"Megan…" Jefferson is at a loss for words. "Can I…talk to you."

"No. What part of leave me alone don't you understand?"

Jefferson sighs in defeat. He had never seen Megan act like this. Unable to figure out what to do, he decides to simply leave her alone. Geoff arrives around that time.

"Don't give up, son." Geoff pats his son's shoulder. "She never left your side when you were at your lowest. Remember?"

Jefferson suddenly realized what he needs to do. He heads over to Megan, and simply sits beside her.

"Why can't you leave me alone?" Megan says, tears rolling down her eyes.

"Meg… I know something's wrong. And…if you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. But, just let me stay by your side, ok?" Jefferson looks at Megan. His heart breaks seeing her like that.

About a whole hour passes before Megan starts talking again.

"I saw my dad here." Megan dries the last of her tears. "He killed himself."

Jefferson's eyes widen at this revelation. "Oh my God, I'm sorry."

Suddenly, a memory of his makes Jefferson wince at the weight of the revelation…

_Fifteen year old Megan was hanging out with Jefferson. She merely stared at the small tadpoles in the pond._

"_Hey Meg, why do you always stare at those tadpoles?"_

"_Oh, I just like them." Megan smiles. "I think frogs and tadpoles are cute."_

"_Most girls find them freaky." Jefferson chuckles._

"_It will be father's day next Sunday…" Megan suddenly looks downtrodden._

"_Ugh, don't remind me." Jefferson's gaze darkens._

"_Know what?"_

_Jefferson looks at Megan. His gaze softens. "Yeah?"_

"_Someday, I will go out and find my dad."_

_Jefferson looks at Megan with a curious gaze. "Why?"_

"_I don't know. I think he's still alive."_

_Jefferson scoffs. "Then why isn't he here with you?"_

_Megan stops talking after he asked that. She would spend a whole week without speaking to Jefferson after that, and only started talking to him after he apologized…_

"Jefferson?" Megan starts crying again. "Thank you, for coming here."

"Meg…" Jefferson places an arm around her, and gives her a hug.

"All my life, I wondered why my dad wasn't around. I sometimes thought he had abandoned me. That he left me so he wouldn't have to deal with me. Now, I find out he killed himself. He didn't care about me at all." Megan's crying into Jefferson's shirt.

"That's not true." Megan recognizes that voice. It's Paul. "Megan… I cared about you more than anything else on this planet."

"Bullshit!" Megan gets up, and stares angrily at her father "Then why the hell did you leave me?"

"I couldn't take care of you anymore. I was poor, didn't have much money. I struggled to make ends meet. I knew your grandparents were well off, so…I gave you to them, so they could give you the life you deserved."

"I didn't ask you why you left me with grandma and grandpa." Megan's tears are stinging her eyes. "I am asking you why you killed yourself."

"Meg, I…" Paul looks down on the ground in shame. He kneels down. "I lost your mother. She gave me a reason to live. She then gave me you, my greatest accomplishment. I loved your mother more than anyone else on the planet. More than I ever loved anyone else in my entire life. She was my everything, Megan. But, God took her away from me. When I lost her I lost sight of everything. Even any reason to go on living. The only thing I had left was you. But… I couldn't give you the life you deserved."

"Get to the point." Megan crosses her arms. Her angry glare remains fixed on Paul.

"Megan. When I gave you to Clyde and Susan, I simply didn't have any more reason to live. You didn't need me. No one did." Paul's tears soak the ground. "So, I figured, no one would miss me when I died."

"I grew up thinking you abandoned me. That I had done something wrong." Megan walks over to Paul, and is now standing in front of him. "Every Father's Day, I thought about where you were. I asked myself if you were with mom, in Heaven. I never wanted to think you were dead…Always holding on to the idea that you were still alive…that I would find you someday…"

Megan places her hand on Paul's shoulder. Paul looks up at his daughter. She slaps him across the face.

"Now I find out, my dad killed himself!" Megan can no longer control her seething rage. She tightens her fists, ready to throw a punch. Jefferson grabs her, however.

"Let me go!" Megan tries in vain to struggle out of his grip. "Let me GO!"

The more she struggles, the more she realizes that, no matter how hard she tries, Jefferson would never let her go. He would never allow her to pulverize someone like Paul, who merely laid on the ground, still dazed from the slap he had coming from so long ago. As she finally cools off a bit, she begins weeping. Jefferson holds her, as her furious tears soak up Jefferson's shirt. Geoff, who had seen the whole thing unfold, merely sighs in defeat…


End file.
